


Never The Same Again

by cazmalfoy



Series: Assassin Ianto [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Assassin Ianto, Bad ass Ianto, Childbirth, Fifty-First Century Ianto, M/M, Mpreg, Past Character Death, Past Child Death, Time Agent Ianto, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-02
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:18:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 25,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/988713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of Ianto's admission, Jack discovers that their lives are never going to be the same again...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to Memories Are Made Of This, and takes place during season 2 of Torchwood.

Chapter 1

Wind whipped violently around him as he gazed up at the night sky and the stars above. He was cold, his hands were actually red raw from the temperature; but being so high off the ground and that much closer to the galaxies he had once spent his time exploring, made him feel at ease.

Until his brain reminded him of why he had been driven to the roof in the first place.

During the past year – the year that never was – Jack thought he had reached a point in his life where he was ready to admit to the world that he was ready for commitment. He was ready to settle down with Ianto and make things official.

In the wake of Ianto's announcement, a whole swarm of emotions had darted through Jack's mind. Ranging from horror right through to fear in the time it took for him to blink. There were so many questions running around his head; so many new terrors drawn up in his mind's eye.

Rain began to fall from the sky, but Jack didn't move from his spot. After all he had been through during his time with Saxon, a little water wouldn't hurt him.

Even thoughts of Saxon brought a fresh wave of anger and humiliation to Jack's being. He refused to think of the crazy Time Lord as 'the Master'; the word itself carried connotations that Jack wasn't willing to even begin to consider.

So many things had been done to him in the past year that he wished he could take a pill to forget. He had been killed so many times; humiliated in front of the Doctor more times than he wished to recall. Chained up and bound in front of the aged Time Lord, Jack had been murdered time and time again, purely to see the look of anguish on the Doctor's face as he repeatedly lost his companion, only to have him return to Hell a few moments later.

If he could afford to take the Retcon, Jack would happily take the whole jar. For the past hundred and fifty years, Jack wished he could erase the memory of his past deeds. With Retcon he knew he could do that; he also knew that without his knowledge of different aliens species and technology, he was a danger to the people he cared about most.

Part of Jack wished the Doctor hadn't brought him back at all. If he had stayed travelling, he wouldn't have had to come back and face the angry, betrayed looks from his team.

The more sensible side of him, knew that he belonged in Cardiff, with Torchwood and especially with Ianto.

x

The spray from the shower was hot and painful as the water pelted down against his back. But Ianto didn't care about the pain he was feeling, or how sore his flesh was going to be pretty soon. The dull ache he had been feeling in the pit of his stomach since Jack left with the Doctor, had been increasing in intensity and it had reached a point when he couldn't stand it anymore that he realised what he was feeling. Having Jack back made the feeling disappear slightly, although after the other man's hasty exit, the feeling had been replaced by fear and dread.

Eventually the water pressure became too much and Ianto blindly reached out and pressed the power button; shutting the shower off completely.

It took a while for him to adjust to the steamy bathroom after having his eyes closed for so long, but when he did, he opened the shower door and carefully stepped onto the mat lying on the floor. The towel felt rough against his skin and he vaguely made a mental note that he needed to buy some more fabric softener before he did the washing next.

After fixing the towel securely around his waist, Ianto opened the door, shivering at the change in temperature as he stepped into the hallway; compared to the sauna-like humidity of the bathroom, the rest of the apartment was almost freezing.

Ianto was almost at the bedroom door when he heard a key in the door and the lock click open. He turned slightly and watched in silence as the door slowly opened; he wasn't alarmed, only one person had a key to the apartment, so it couldn't really be anyone else.

Jack entered the apartment, his body language cautious and tentative. After their brief conversation earlier, followed by Jack's rash exit, he wasn't entirely sure how welcomed his presence would be.

The younger Time Agent's gaze met Jack's as he stated, "You came back, then."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So, it's true then."

Ianto nodded his head, moving from the hallway into the bedroom without saying anything to Jack. He quickly finished drying the tops of his legs and pulled on his underwear and a pair a tracksuit bottoms. They weren't particularly stylish – actually, they were rather Chav-ish for Ianto – but they were there and comfortable.

"What would I get out of lying?" Ianto retorted, grabbing a T-shirt and heading back into the hallway where Jack was still standing, looking as though he didn't belong. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

Jack blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Oh…" he whispered, shrugging out of his coat and hanging it on the hook, quickly unfastening and toeing his boots off as he went. "I…" Jack took a deep breath before continuing, "How long have I been gone?"

"A little over three months," Ianto replied, sliding down on to the couch and looking up at Jack, the T-shirt falling to the side forgotten about. "Don't you think you should sit down?"

The older Time Agent started a little before he mirrored Ianto's actions, carefully sitting on the edge of the couch. "Is it…" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, not believing how hard it was to get his words out. "I mean…"

Ianto rolled his eyes and leant back. "I haven't been with anyone else, if that's what you're trying to ask."

"So it's mine then," Jack breathed. Not being able to stay still for any longer, Jack got to his feet and began pacing around the living room. "I don't get how this happened," he eventually admitted, stopping by the fireplace and turning back to Ianto.

He laughed hollowly, "Well, if you don't know…"

Jack let out an exasperated sigh and glared at Ianto, although there was no venom behind his eyes, only thinly veiled amusement mixed with slight annoyance. "You know what I mean, Ianto. We've always used…"

"A few hours before you left," Ianto interrupted, getting to his feet and crossing the room. He didn't stop until he was directly in front of Jack. "I wasn't sure at first, but it was the only time we didn't use anything. Owen did a scan and… This is happening, Will, right now and we need to deal with this."

Tentatively Jack reached out and nervously pressed his fingertips against Ianto's slightly swollen skin. He gasped when he felt the warmth radiating from Ianto, warmth that had nothing to do with Ianto's own body temperature, but everything to do with the tiny being inside of him.

"Owen knows?" Jack whispered, pressing the flat of his hand against Ianto's stomach.

Ianto nodded his head, not making any effort to move Jack's hands away. He didn't know where Jack had been for the past three months, but he did know that the only way he would be believed was if Jack felt it for himself.

"You weren't the only one who needed a doctor," he joked. Immediately Ianto regretted his comment as pain flashed across Jack's eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, wishing he could take back what he had just said.

Jack brushed aside his apologies, most of his attention still focused on Ianto's stomach. "It's okay," he murmured, not meeting Ianto's gaze. "It's over. What happened has already been fixed."

Ianto ran his fingers through Jack's hair, bringing his attention back to him. "Where are we?"

Knowing that Ianto meant their relationship, Jack sighed and rested his head on Ianto's shoulder, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent. "I… This past year…"

He made to correct Jack, to remind him that it had only been three months, but Jack placed a finger over his lips, momentarily. "For me, it's been a year. I've seen some… horrible things, Ianto," he admitted. "Lots of people died. You died."

Ianto hissed in a breath at Jack's admission, but before he could speak, Jack continued, "I didn't know about you…" he pressed his hand softly against Ianto's lower torso once more. "I didn't know about this."

"You…" Jack broke off, his baby blue eyes filling with tears, "I was chained up for the better part of that year. When they killed you, they… I was made to watch you fight. You saved Tosh's life at the cost of your own."

Jack smiled and pressed a salty kiss against Ianto's lips. "My hero," he whispered, making Ianto roll his eyes. "If I'd known about this… I…"

The younger Time Agent silenced Jack with another kiss, "You would have been driven insane, knowing that whoever did this destroyed us both. But I don't get why I don't remember anything…"

"Do you remember Harold Saxon?" Jack countered, waiting for Ianto's nod of agreement before he continued. "He was a Time Lord, the same as the Doctor. Well, if you ignore how he created a paradox machine and tried to destroy earth."

Jack shook his head, pushing thoughts of the past to one side and forcing himself to focus on Ianto and the present. "Time reset itself so none of it ever happened."

Ianto took both of Jack's hands in his own. "You feel that?" he asked, pressing his lover's hands against his stomach. Jack nodded mutely, feeling the warmth against his palms. "We're both here and okay."

Jack smiled, the first true smile he could remember giving in a year as he kissed Ianto softly. The other man grinned against Jack's lips and wound his hands in Jack's hair.

His hands were still on Ianto's stomach, and Jack could hardly believe that they had created the tiny life he could sense inside of Ianto. Jack knew things wouldn't be easy for them, juggling parenthood with their work lives would be difficult, but Jack was looking forward to trying.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not warning about MPreg; I didn't want to ruin the 'surprise' with warnings. Future stories will be labelled accordingly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jack was doing Owen's head in. He was hurrying around the medical bay, pulling open random cupboards, rummaging around in them before withdrawing when he was looking for. Owen was by no means a neat freak, but when people started messing with his supplies, he tended to get testy.

Ianto wasn't making things any better either, he just continued sitting on the examination table, watching with amusement as Jack moved, muttering to himself in a language Ianto clearly understood, although Owen couldn't even begin to guess what it was.

"Do you mind telling me what the fuck you're doing?" Owen demanded when he decided he was bored with Jack's rummaging.

"Playing chemist," Jack muttered, grabbing a test tube. He held the tube with his thumb and forefinger as he picked up a blue bottle.

"Not in my space you're not!" Owen cried, moving to take the ingredients off of Jack.

He stopped in his tracks when Ianto placed a hand on his arm. Quirking a questioning eyebrow, Owen turned to the younger man who explained, "I think he's making something for us," he glanced pointedly down at his stomach.

Owen's eyes followed Ianto's eyes to his swollen skin before the doctor glanced at Jack who was still busy cooking something up. Over the past month, Jack had grown increasingly protective over Ianto; in fact Owen would almost go so far as to think Jack was treating Ianto as though he were made of glass – he wasn't stupid enough to say those thoughts out loud. He didn't want to be shot again.

"Here," Jack said, grabbing a syringe and filling it with the now purple liquid. "One shot of this directly into Ianto's bloodstream."

He patted Ianto on the shoulder, his hand lingering just a little bit longer than usual, as he handed the needle to Owen. "I'll wait outside for you to finish."

Before either of them couple speak, Jack turned on his heel and practically fled from the medical bay. Owen turned to Ianto who shrugged his shoulders, "He's just… a little distracted."

"I'll say," Owen muttered, squirting some gel onto his hands, warming it a little before he coated Ianto's stomach thoroughly.

The other man gasped at the cool liquid and automatically tried to scoot away from the sensation, only to discover there was nowhere for him to go.

"Keep still," Owen instructed, flicking on a nearby machine and grabbing the attachment. "What's this he's cooked up then?" he asked, nodding his head towards the syringe lying next to Ianto; there was no way Owen was giving it to his patient without knowing exactly what it was.

"From what I can tell, it's a cocktail," Ianto replied, wincing a little when Owen pressed the scanner against his stomach. "If I'm right it's a mix of different vitamins; ones that aren't available in this century. Hence the reason why he's had to make them from scratch."

Owen nodded his head, focusing his attention on the screen in front of him. "Everything looks okay to me," he assured Ianto, turning the sound on the machine up so they could hear the steady heartbeat of their child. "Do you want to know the sex?"

"No," Jack's voice came from above, making both of them jump. Ianto looked up at Jack questioningly, wondering when he had returned. "I want it to be a surprise," he explained.  
Ianto nodded his head and informed Owen that they didn't want to know.

The doctor grabbed a tourniquet, fastening it tightly around Ianto's muscled bicep, tapping an index finger to the skin where bicep met forearm in an attempt to bring the veins to the surface.

"How sure about this are you, Jack?" Owen asked, holding the cocktail up and studying Jack.

"Completely positive," Jack replied, his voice firm and completely devoid of doubt. "Ianto'll need another shot in two months and then a few weeks before the birth, but that should tide us over until then."

Owen nodded, satisfied with Jack's answer, before he carefully slid the needle into Ianto's vein. He chuckled when the other man whimpered in pain at the feeling. "I can't believe you're scared of a little tiny needle."

Ianto glared at the back of his head as Owen turned away when he'd finished. "Where I'm from we don't have needles; they're old fashioned as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, you're in the twenty first century now, mate," Owen informed him, carefully wiping the gel from Ianto's stomach. "Get used to it."

Jack pushed himself away from where he was leaning on the wall, "You done?" he asked. Owen nodded and Jack smiled, showing his appreciation towards the doctor before he added, "Good, 'cause we've got a frozen soldier to wake up."

x

Jack shuffled the papers about absentmindedly, he didn't know where his mind was, but it certainly wasn't on the current situation or the papers in front of him.

He paused when he heard footsteps entering the office behind him, tensing at the intrusion before he remembered that there was only one other person in the Hub at the moment.

"This time tomorrow he'll be back in 1918," he stated, continuing gathering the papers.

As predicted Ianto's voice responded. "In his own time. Would you go back to ours? If you could."

Jack smirked as Ianto leant against his desk. "Why would you miss me?"

Ianto rolled his eyes and rolled his shoulders. "I dunno, maybe," he replied, yelping a little when Jack swatted his leg playfully. "I know you get lonely sometimes."

Jack heaved a sigh and closed the file, glancing down at it for a moment as he collected his thoughts, the last thing he wanted to do right then was piss off a hormonal assassin. "Going home wouldn't fix that. Besides, I'm not sure if I'd even fit in anymore."

He looked up at Ianto, his eyes serious and clearly displaying his emotions to the other man. "I belong here." Jack leant forward and pressed a kiss on Ianto's stomach, the slight curve was almost impossible to notice under his well-tailored suits unless you knew what you were looking for. "My family's here," he whispered, meeting Ianto's eyes with his own.

"Sap," Ianto murmured half-heartedly, leaning down and covering Jack's kiss with his own. Roughly plunging his tongue into the other man's mouth, devouring every inch, leaving them breathless and eager for more.

"Come on," he instructed, grasping Jack's hand and pulling him to his feet. "You've got until six thirty to show me how much you belong here."

x

At half past five the next morning Ianto woke to the smell of beans, toast and coffee. He groaned when the bedroom door opened and a very naked Jack returned, carrying a tray in his hands.

"Beans on toast?" Ianto asked incredulously, pushing himself back against the pillows as Jack placed the tray in his lap.

"It's the only thing I can make this early in the morning," Jack grumbled, settling on the bed next to Ianto.

The younger Time Agent scoffed, "It's the only thing you can make, period, Will." He reached for the steaming cup of coffee, pouting when Jack grabbed it and moved it out of his reach.

"This is mine," he informed Ianto, having a drink as though to prove his point. "That's yours," he nodded toward the glass of cold orange juice, sitting next to his place.

"Joy," Ianto muttered, grabbing the glass sulkily, spilling a little of the orange liquid onto his chest.

Before he could clean himself up, Jack leant forward and swiped his tongue across the wet area, lapping up any lingering juice.

Ianto gasped a little at Jack's actions before studying the other man suspiciously. "Okay, what's up?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence as he tucked into his own breakfast.

"Will…" Ianto began, his voice taking on a warning tone that Jack knew all too well.

He sighed and lowered his head before admitting, "I was thinking about taking you off active duty." Jack closed his eyes, waiting for the expected explosion from his lover. When Ianto didn't speak, Jack nervously opened one eye and then the other. "You're not saying anything," he pointed out.

"It's a good idea," Ianto agreed, scooping up some of his own breakfast, chuckling to himself when Jack choked on his own. "What? I'm not going to willingly endanger our unborn baby's life when it's not needed. But…"

Jack raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I've got another month before it'll really start to get obvious. I'll be careful, but I'm not coming off active duty until then."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack kicked the plastic sheets to the side and recoiled at the awful stench that erupted from the van. It smelt like rotting flesh, a lot of rotting flesh.  
"Ianto, stay outside," Jack instructed quietly. "It…"

"Stinks," Ianto nodded, scrunching his nose up in disgust at the smell he could already smell coming from the van. "Yeah, I know." He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from retching a little. "I'll talk to the cops," he looked to the police vans a dozen or so feet away, "see what they don't know."

Jack agreed and stepped further into the van, Owen and Gwen close behind him, each gasping and retching in disgust at the scent. Luckily the further away Ianto got from the van, the more the stench decreased and he was able to breathe properly again.

"Officer Morrow," Ianto greeted, stepping up to the police officer and reading his ID badge quickly. "Ianto Jones, Torchwood," he introduced himself before getting down to business. "What have we got back there?" he indicated over his shoulder towards the truck.

"Harwoods lorry," the cop replied, clearly uninterested in his task. "Hit the barrier and overturned."

"Where's the driver?" Ianto questioned, trying to remember if there had been an ambulance on the scene when they arrived. He couldn't picture one at that moment.

"En route to the morgue," the officer responded, throwing Ianto a look of pure venom as though he should have known.

Ianto sighed and thanked the cop for his time, thanks which fell on deaf ears as the other man walked away from the Time Agent. Rolling his eyes at the friendliness of Cardiff's PD, Ianto turned on his heels and headed back to the van which his colleagues were just exiting.

Biting back the bite that threatened to rise at the scent clinging to everyone, Ianto turned to Jack and stated, "The drivers was killed in the accident." Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "And the truck is from a company called Harwoods."

Jack's eyes flew open as Gwen interrupted, "Harwoods?" Ianto nodded his head and she replied, "That's Rhys' firm."

"Really?" Jack almost purred and Ianto could almost see the hundred scenarios he had running through his head.

"He wouldn't be involved in something like this, Jack," Gwen stated firmly. "I just know he wouldn't."

x

Ianto grimaced when Jack made his way towards him for the third time that morning.

"You know," Jack began, "if I wasn't so comfortable with myself, I'd be offended by you doing that all the time."

The younger man skirted around Jack, sitting down in his chair and closing his eyes tiredly. "If you'd shower, I wouldn't be resorted to holding my breath whenever you're around."

Jack glowered at Ianto. "You still stink from earlier," Ianto pointed out. "Your clothes, hair, skin… I can still smell it."

He lifted his arm and sniffed his shirt, almost throwing up at the lingering scent. "Why didn't I notice that?"

"I have no idea," Ianto muttered, placing his hands in the centre of Jack's chest and pushing him back a step. "Come find me when don't smell like dead space cow."

x

Ianto quickly and silently made his way through the warehouse. He shouldn't be there; he knew it and Jack knew it. Not only was he starting to show more and more each day, but that god-awful stench was turning his stomach and only increasing the closer he got to the centre of the building.

He quietly hopped down the last few stairs, grateful he was still slightly agile. Quickly glancing around one corner, he exhaled through his mouth; ever since entering the building he had been trying to avoid breathing through his nose unless it was absolutely necessary.

Owen and Ianto had separated a few moments ago, Ianto heading to the main office while Owen tried to find some kind of alien sedative.

Ianto groaned when he heard Owen's voice announce, "They're armed," over their comms.

He didn't have chance to draw his own gun before the door opened and a large man in a white coat approached him. "You shouldn't be here," he spat.

"Oh…" Ianto murmured, playing dumb as he reached into his jacket, closing his fingers around the first thing he could reach. "I've got…"

The Time Agent pressed his weapon to the centre of the man's chest, pulling the trigger and watching the man fall to the ground. "A crappy stun gun apparently," he murmured, pocketing the weapon with a roll of his eyes before continuing on his way.

Ianto ducked through a doorway, pushed back some plastic sheets and immediately found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"They've got Rhys and Ianto," Owen announced over their comms.

Gwen immediately made to leave the centre of the warehouse. Quickly Jack grabbed her and pulled her back. "You can't go out there," Jack insisted, looking directly into her green eyes, making sure she understood every word he was saying. "You stay here and we get the job done."

On the outside, Jack knew he was keeping his cool, he was staying focused on their task even when everything was going to hell around him. Inside, however, was a completely different story. He could barely hear anything over the rushing of blood in his ears, Ianto was in danger and so was their child; his heart pounding so hard against his ribcage he thought it was going to burst.

All the doors were locked solid, apart from the entrance they had just come through. "We need to get out of here," Tosh advised as they made their way for the exit.

Before they could reach it Dale entered the warehouse, a gun trained on a bound Ianto and Rhys.

Swearing under his breath, Jack ducked behind some large crates, pulling Tosh back with him; Gwen slid behind some oil drums. All of them held their breath as they listened to what was being said.

"What is it?" Ianto asked, awe sounding in his voice.

Dale's gun never moved as he answered, "The lads call it the cash cow."

Another man ran into the warehouse, his greasy hair flopping about as he ran. "Dale, what are you doing?" he demanded, seeing the other man's prisoners.

"They couldn't bear to see us making money. Fancied yourself some, eh? Thought we'd be pushovers." Dale pressed the gun into the back of Rhys' head, making him flinch.

Jack knew Ianto could feel his eyes on him, the way his eyes flickered about the room, looking anywhere other than where his team mates were hiding so as not to give away their positions. He could see Ianto frown as he tried to wriggle his hands free from the rope around his wrist. All Rhys needed to do was stall them for a little longer.

Dale pushed Rhys forward and shouted in their general direction, "Show yourselves or I shoot the delivery boy!"

Before he could stop her, Gwen stepped forward – without her weapon – and raised her hands in defeat. "Okay," she said calmly, turning her hands so they were palms out, "there's no need to make any threats."

"Where's the rest of you?"

Gwen shook her head, "There's just us three," she assured him.

"Go stand by her," Dale instructed, pointing toward Gwen with his gun.

Rhys had made it to his fiancée before a voice above them cried, "There! Another two of them."

Dale darted forward and grabbed hold of Ianto's shoulder, roughly dragging him back towards him. The Time Agent hissed in pain when he felt the back of the gun against his brainstem. "Take out your weapons and stand where I can see you!"

Tosh looked at Jack for instructions, terror clearly shining in her dark eyes. Jack nodded his head tensely and took a step forward, placing his Webley to the side and raising his hands in the air.

Jack knew he had to stall, had to give his lover enough time to get out of his binds, so he spoke the first words that sprung to mind. "You know what you've got here, Dale? It's an Alien, from another planet."

"Shut up!" Dale spat, still holding firmly on to Ianto.

"It came through a Rift in space and time and was unlucky enough to find you."

"It can't be."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Look at it," he hissed.

Dale and the other man's attention turned from them to the large whale-like creature, staring at it as though they were only just seeing what it was. "It's not possible."

Ianto gave Jack and tense nod before he brought his hands around, grabbing the gun and painfully moving Dale's arm so it was aiming at the ceiling. Squeezing the trigger, Ianto tried to count how many rounds he managed to get off, but as he was thrown to the ground he lost count.

Jack felt the whole of time freeze when Dale span around, pointing the gun down at Ianto's chest. Ianto's chest was heaving from the adrenaline and he held his hands up in defeat, he had nothing left to give and trying anything else would be too risky for both him and the baby.

When Dale smirked and pulled the trigger, the only thing that could be heard over the sound of a bullet tearing through the air was Jack's scream of anguish.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5a

Jack quickly reached for his discarded Webley, firing off a shot and hitting Dale directly in the forehead. Tosh and Gwen looked at surprised at Jack's actions but right then he didn't care what they think of his true nature. Ianto was the only thing on his mind at that moment.

He rushed over to Ianto's side, dropping painfully to his knees, pressing his hands against Ianto's bloody chest. "Owen, where the hell are you?" Jack demanded over his comms, trying to stem the bleeding.

"On my way," the doctor replied.

Ianto looked up at Jack, his face pale and his eyes watery. "I'm sorry," he croaked, choking when his mouth filled with blood. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe that his whole family was dying in his arms. "No," he retorted stubbornly. "You are not dying on me. Don't you dare, Ianto Jones!"

The younger man's eyes drifted closed and his head fell limply to the side, despite all of Jack's orders for him to stay conscious.

"Fuck," Owen swore, running into the warehouse and seeing both Rhys and Ianto bleeding.

"Help him!" Jack screamed at their medic. Gwen had Rhys, he would be okay. Not that Jack was particularly bothered at that moment, Ianto had to be Owen's priority.

The brown haired man fell to the floor, wrenching open his backpack and pulling out a tiny first-aid kit. Without speaking, he assembled a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid. Jack watched as Owen plunged the needle directly into Ianto's chest, and his heart.

"What is that?" Jack demanded.

"Epinephrine," Owen muttered, pressing his fingers against Ianto's neck. "You never seen Pulp Fiction? His heart rate is increasing, keep pressing on that wound," he instructed, slipping one hand underneath Ianto.

He sighed with relief when he didn't feel any blood coming from his back. "It wasn't a through and through," he informed Jack. "That's good, cause it means he shouldn't lose as much blood…"

"But…?" Jack pressed.

"It means that I'll have to remove the bullet when we get back to the Hub," Owen replied regretfully.

"What about…?" Jack hesitated, knowing that Tosh and Gwen were within earshot and neither of them had been told about Ianto's condition.

Owen's brown eyes met Jack's own blue and the older man's fear increased tenfold. "There's no way to know until we get back to the Hub."

x

On the long drive from the warehouse to the Hub, Ianto drifted in and out of consciousness. Jack hated when he wasn't alert, he kept having to check his pulse to assure himself that Ianto was still alive.

When he was awake, Ianto didn't make sense. He kept babbling about random things, ranging from his childhood to the Time Agency's secret cheese maker. Jack was just glad he was speaking in a language only he understood; when Ianto was okay, he would have been completely embarrassed at what his team mates had heard.

Jack refused to think of any other scenario where Ianto didn't survive. He just had to, there was no way about it; Jack hadn't returned from travelling with the Doctor and the end of the world, only to have his own world torn away from him. He just hoped their baby would be okay.

Half a mile away from the Plass the clot covering the wound on Ianto's shoulder came loose and the bleeding started again. It took both Owen and Jack to slow the blood flow as Tosh tried to get them to their destination as soon as possible.

Gwen had taken Rhys to the hospital to get him patched up. She had suggested they do the same for Ianto, but Jack had refused. No one at the hospital would understand how Ianto was carrying a child inside him when he was very clearly male.

Tosh stopped the car on the Plass and held the door open as Owen and Jack manoeuvred the bleeding man from the vehicle. She watched helplessly as Jack activated the lift and the three of them began their descent into the Hub.

Once Ianto had been placed on the examination table, Owen began collecting what he would need to help Ianto. Jack hadn't moved from the younger man's side and was grasping his hand tightly, while the other pressed firmly against the wound.

"Jack," Owen began softly. When he didn't get an answer, he raised the volume a little, "Jack! I know you're worried, but if you want me to help them, you need to move."

Mutely Jack took a step back, moving his hand away from the wound, but refusing to let go of Ianto's hand.

Carefully, the doctor pulled the dressing back, wincing when he saw the full extent of the wound. Once the dressing had been completely removed, he tossed it to the floor – being tidy was the last thing on his mind at that moment – and grabbed a pair of tweezers.

He pulled back Ianto's jacket and shirt; tearing both in the process, but they were all ruined so he didn't think it mattered. Biting his lip and steadying his hand, Owen carefully reached inside the wound, trying to find the bullet, hoping it had lodged fairly close to the surface, which meant he didn't need to operate on Ianto.

He let out a cry of triumph when he felt the end of the bullet. Slowly he pulled it out, dropping it into the small metal dish next to him.

Owen quickly set about cleaning Ianto's wound and stitching it up, making sure the stitches weren't too big. As he worked he noticed that there was already a scar on Ianto's collarbone. He paused and looked at Jack questioningly. The Captain didn't even notice Owen's look; he was too busy staring at Ianto's stomach.

"What about the baby?" Jack croaked.

Once he finished with the wound, Owen washed his hands before reaching for a ultrasound gel. Quickly slathering it onto Ianto's stomach – not bothering to warm it since the unconscious man couldn't feel it anyway – he pressed the scanner against his skin and turned up the machine.

It took a few moments to find, but after what was possibly the longest moment of Jack's life they heard a heartbeat fill the room, albeit a rather weak heartbeat.

"He's lost too much blood," Owen mused, setting the scanner aside and turning to Jack. "He'll need a transfusion…"

The words were barely out of Owen's mouth before Jack released Ianto's hand, shrugging out of his coat and pulling his shirt off. "We're the same blood type," he informed Owen, holding his arm out and sitting back down.

"How do you know that?" Owen demanded, setting about getting the transfusion kit. By this time Tosh had appeared above them and was watching with fearful eyes.

"He's had to give me a transfusion in the past," Jack replied evasively.

Owen paused and looked at Jack, staring directly into his eyes. "He's lost a lot of blood. If I take the amount he needs, it might kill you."

Jack nodded his head. "Then take as much as he needs. Kill me twice if you have to."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5b

When Jack jerked back to life it took his brain about two seconds to remember why he had died in the first place. With a startled groan he sat upright, searching around him wildly. He was lying on the examination table where Ianto's unconscious body had been earlier. The younger man was nowhere in sight and Jack's stomach clenched as he thought the worst.

"Ianto?" he shouted, getting to his feet, wincing in pain as he felt his body repair itself. Blood loss was always the worst thing to die of. When he came back it always felt like drowning; crimson liquid flooding through his veins, spreading to his muscles and awakening them once more.

Owen appeared above him, wearing a different outfit than before; Jack supposed his previous clothes had been stained with blood. "You're awake."

"You killed me," Jack stated heading up the stairs.

The doctor nodded his head toward the small fridge embedded in the wall. "I took more than enough blood from you; just in case we ever need to this again."

Owen indicated to the main Hub and Jack quickly sprinted out to find Ianto sitting at his workstation, wincing a little as he turned to face Jack.

"Hey," Ianto greeted smiling up at his lover. His face was pale and he looked exhausted, but he was alive, that was what counted.

Jack remained silent as he crossed the small space, kissing Ianto passionately, trying to reassure himself that he was still alive.

"I'm okay," Ianto whispered, running his hand through Jack's hair. "My wound's almost completely healed. Something to do with the rapid healing cells in your blood, I would imagine," he smirked at Jack, kissing him softly. "We're both okay," he added, bringing Jack's hand around to rest on his stomach.

The older Time Agent gasped when he felt the familiar heat radiating through Ianto's clothes. He let out a half-sob, half-laugh at the feeling; his family was safe and alive.

Before Jack could speak, the alarm sounded and they all looked up to see Gwen storming into the Hub.

"I got your message," she snapped, spotting Jack standing with Ianto.

The Captain glanced at his lover questioningly. "I told her Rhys had to be Retconned," Ianto explained.

"I'm not doing it," Gwen stated defiantly.

Jack's gaze snapped back to the young Welshwoman. "This isn't open for discussion. Ianto gave you an order; you know when I'm out of it, he's in charge. Either you Retcon Rhys, or I will."

"No." She headed up to the main work area where the rest of the team were gathered. "I won't let you. He deserves to know."

"Rhys got injured, we understand what you're feeling," Jack almost whispered, placing a hand on Ianto's shoulder.

Gwen scoffed and shook her head. "No you don't. What Rhys did today was so brave, because he didn't sign up for this. We all," she glanced around at Tosh and Owen; she dare not look at Ianto, "knew what we were getting into, but he didn't."

"None of you have partners outside all this. You all think it's cold and lonely out there," she stared accusingly at Tosh and Owen, "but it's not for me, because I have him."

She fell silent, her chest heaving as she tried to regain her breath. For a long moment, the sounds that could be heard were her breaths and Myfanwy above them.

"How dare you," an angry voice whispered and they all looked at Ianto in surprise.

Gwen raised an eyebrow and looked at Jack's second. He had been sat next to Jack, looking pale and weak, but now he looked flushed and pissed off. "Excuse me?"

Ianto shrugged Jack's hand from his shoulder. "Rhys wasn't the only one that got shot. Or are you really that self-centred that you didn't notice I also died?"

"Yes, but…"

He raised his hand, cutting off her excuses. "You're right, we don't know what it's like to have someone on the outside. But we do know what it's like having someone inside all of this," he indicated around the Hub. "Do you have any idea what it's like to willingly watch the people you care for risk their lives?"

"What do you think went through Jack's mind in that warehouse?" he pointed at his lover, who was watching silently. He wasn't about to stop Ianto from telling Gwen off, hopefully it would do her some good; he would only intervene if it looked like Ianto was going to shoot her.

"He had to watch me get shot," Ianto continued.

"I had to watch Rhys get shot," Gwen replied sullenly.

Ianto nodded his head. "And I'm sure that all sorts of things were going through your mind when you thought you were going to lose him. But think about this, while I was unconscious, Jack had to come to terms with the possibility that I could survive, but our unborn child wouldn't."

Gwen's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed a few times, in a perfect goldfish impression.

Not waiting for her to say anything else, Ianto carefully got to his feet, crossed the Hub and disappeared into Jack's office.

Jack remained silent, watching until the door swung closed behind Ianto. "Go home, Gwen," he said softly, tired of being angry. "Give Rhys my love and I will see you in the morning."

He didn't speak another word as he headed into his office as well, closing the door firmly behind him.

Owen rolled his eyes and returned to work, muttering something about being surrounded by female hormones and Jack all the time.

"Did… Did you know about this?" Gwen stammered turning to Tosh.

The Japanese woman nodded her head, turning back to her computer. She pressed a few keys, bringing up past CCTV footage. "You can tell here," she stated, pausing the video and zooming in on Ianto.

Gwen leant closer and felt her mouth fall open when she saw that Ianto's suit didn't fit as well as she would have expected from him. "Is this when you found out?"

Tosh shook her head, closing the video down. "While Jack was away, Ianto's eating habits changed. He stopped drinking alcohol and coffee, started eating larger portions, stuff like that."

"How did I not notice?" Gwen asked, feeling her mind boggle at the thought of her male co-worker being pregnant; the details of how that was even possible, made her head hurt far too much to think about.

She shrugged her shoulders and returned to her work, mumbling something under her breath.

"Something to say?" Gwen asked, putting her hand on her hips and staring intently at Tosh.

"Well…" She seemed to hesitate for a second before Tosh took a deep breath, "You can be a little self-centred at times. And you've always been jealous of Ianto's relationship with Jack."

Gwen flushed in embarrassment and looked away from Tosh. "No, I haven't," she lied unconvincingly.

Tosh chuckled and shook her head. "Don't lie, Gwen," she instructed softly, turning to look up at her friend. "I've seen them together, they really love each other. If you were smart, you wouldn't get in the way of that."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Ianto woke up to the feeling of a weight against his left leg and the sounds of whispering.

He slowly opened his eyes and smiled affectionately when he saw Jack practically wrapped around his lower body, his face pressed against Ianto's bump. The other Time Agent was completely unaware that he was being watched as he whispered words in their native language.

Eventually, Jack began to sense someone's eyes on him and he pressed his lips to Ianto's stomach before looking up. "How long have you been awake?" he whispered.

Ianto smiled and ran his fingers through Jack's hair. "Long enough to hear you telling our child that you're going to teach it to play basketball," he replied.

Jack blushed and kissed his way up Ianto's body, pressing their lips together softly. As they kissed he slid his leg further up Ianto's, pressing his thigh against the other man's groin.

Ianto broke the kiss and groaned, flushing as heat spread through his body. "Will," he moaned, wrapping one leg around Jack. "Don't start something if you don't intend to finish it," he warned.

The older Time Agent grinned and leant down, devouring his lover's mouth. "Oh, trust me," he murmured, pressing his leg against Ianto a little harder, "I have every intention of finishing this."

x

Jack was annoyed. Actually, he was sulking; pouting and sulking. After the sex that morning, Ianto had made Jack get dressed and head to the retail park on the edge of the city.

For the past two hours, Jack had been pushed up and down every single isle in Mothercare at least a dozen times. Not only was he getting more irritated each time, he was also starting to feel a little dizzy.

Thankfully, Ianto was wearing loose fitting pants and a hooded sweatshirt, somewhat disguising the medium sized bump his previously flat stomach had recently turned into. Jack knew that to most people it would simply look as though the younger man had eaten one too many takeaways.

He winced when Ianto slammed a book against his chest, indicating him to put it in the trolley he was pushing. "Ow!" he glared at Ianto, throwing the book in the trolley without looking at it.

Ianto rolled his eyes and continued marching down the aisle, pulling off the various baby items he thought they could do with. As he followed idly behind, Jack glanced down at the book he had been assaulted with.

It was a book on baby names. Jack stopped in the middle of the isle, only just realising that they hadn't even discussed what they were going to call the child after it had been born. Jack had been so focused on helping Ianto through the pregnancy that he hadn't even thought about what they were going to do in a few months’ time.

Finally noticing that Jack wasn't at his side, Ianto turned around and frowned when he saw his lover's wide eyed expression. "Will? You okay?" he asked, walking back to Jack and placing a hand on his shoulder.

The feeling of Ianto touching him seemed to snap Jack out of his daze and he blinked, slowly bringing himself back to the present. "Where were you?" Ianto questioned softly.

"I just realised we haven't thought of a name or anything," he admitted.

Ianto chuckled and kissed Jack gently. "That's why we have the baby book," he replied, squeezing Jack's hand before continuing down the aisle. "Come on, we still have to go to Argos."

x

Jack groaned and placed the box he was carrying on the ground. "Why couldn't we have had this delivered to the apartment?" he demanded, watching as Ianto unlocked the boot.

"Because, this is easier," Ianto replied, stepping back and watching Jack struggle to put the flat-packed cot in the car.

"Hey guys," a stranger called, approaching them and coming to a stop between the couple. "Taking a break from work?" he grinned.

Ianto eyed the stranger up suspiciously. "Do we know you?"

The sandy haired man rolled his eyes, placing one hand on Jack's shoulder and the other on Ianto's. "It's me, Adam. Remember?"

x

The alarm clock beeping woke Jack up and he groaned as he hit the annoying machine with his fist. He rolled over to wake Ianto up, only to discover that the bed was empty and the sheets were cold.

"Ianto?" he called, climbing out of bed and heading into the hallway, not caring that he was naked.

The younger Time Agent was crouched in front of the fridge, clutching a black bag in one hand as he threw food into it with the other. Food Jack knew was perfectly okay; they had only gone shopping two days ago.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Jack asked sleepily, running his hand through his hair as he flicked the kettle on, reaching for his usual cup.

"Cleaning all this out," Ianto replied distractedly. "I'm going on a diet."

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "Ianto, you don't need to go on a diet. You're perfect the way you are now."

Ianto dropped the black bag and got to his feet. "Perfect the way I am now?" he repeated incredulously. "Have you even seen me?"

The Captain ran his eyes up and down the length of Ianto's body, not spotting anything out of the ordinary about him. "You look gorgeous."

"Gorgeous?" Ianto scoffed. "I'm fat."

Jack put his cup down in surprise and turned back to his lover. "Ianto, you don't need to diet, you're not fat. You're pregnant."

Ianto stared at Jack, looking as though he wasn't sure whether to laugh at Jack's joke or pass out. "I'm what?"

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Jack paced on the platform above them, watching as Owen hooked the machine up and spread gel over Ianto's stomach.

"You ready for this?" the doctor asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Just get on with it," Ianto muttered through gritted teeth; the damn gel was freezing.

Gently, Owen pressed the scanner against Ianto's swollen stomach, moving it around a little so they could see the baby clearer. "There," he stated, pointing at the screen, "that's your baby."

Ianto remained silent, staring at the screen in surprise and a little bit of horror. "There's no way I'm pregnant," he cried, pulling the scanner away and wiping the gel from his stomach. "I'm a man, it's just not possible."

Owen looked up at Jack who was leaning against the railings with a puzzled expression on his face. "Any suggestions?" he asked.

Jack continued studying Ianto, before he asked, "Ianto, what year were you born?"

"1983," Ianto stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where am I from?" Jack continued.

Ianto frowned. "America presumably, since you have an American accent."

"And my real name?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" Ianto demanded. "You won't tell us anything about yourself. Can I go now?" he asked sullenly.

Jack nodded tensely. "Wait for me in my office," he instructed, watching as Ianto left him alone with Owen. "Any ideas what caused this?"

Owen turned away from Jack, his ears turning red as he stammered. "Well, there have been cases in the past of temporary amnesia. It was usually brought on by… Well… By, sex," he practically whispered.

Jack smirked, "Are you blushing Owen?" he asked.

The doctor blushed even deeper and he busied himself with cleaning up. "No," he muttered almost inaudibly.

"Adam!" Jack shouted.

"You rang?" the sandy haired man responded, entering the medical bay.

"Head into the archives, see if you can find anything about amnesia. I'm going to keep an eye on Ianto, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

x

Ianto was sitting in Jack's office as instructed. He looked up when he heard the door close behind the former RAF Captain. "Why don't I remember?" he whispered.

Jack shook his head, sitting on the couch next to Ianto, making sure to leave a little space between them; he didn't want to freak the other man out too much. "I don't know," he admitted softly.

To his surprise, and relief, Ianto slid closer to the other man, leaning against his side. "Oh," he whispered, starting and looking down at his stomach in awe. "He kicked."

"He?" Jack repeated, slowly reaching out a hand and placing it on Ianto's stomach.

"I just feel like it's a boy," Ianto responded, smiling when they felt the baby kick again. "Don't we know the sex?"

Jack shook his head. "We're waiting until it's born," he replied, looking into Ianto's eyes.

Silence fell over them, until Ianto whispered, "I don't understand how I can be a guy and pregnant." He purposely left out the fact that he had checked to prove he was still very much male.

"You're not from this time," Jack told him. "Neither of us are. We're from the 51st century."

"51st?" Ianto echoed and the other man nodded his head. "Jack, this makes no sense…"

Jack winced and closed his eyes. "Please don't call me that," he begged, finding it ironic that not too long ago he had pleaded with Ianto to call him anything but his real name. "My name's Will, you're the only person who calls me it. No one else knows."

x

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Gwen didn't remember Rhys now. This was getting ridiculous. First Ianto and now Gwen. There was clearly something going on.

"Will?" Ianto's voice asked from the doorway and Jack's head snapped up in surprise.

"Tell me you remember," he pleaded desperately, hoping that Ianto calling him his real name was a sign his memory was back.

"Sorry," Ianto smiled apologetically. "I just wanted to tell you that Adam called, he's bringing Gwen back."

"Adam," Jack whispered, closing his eyes and picturing his team in his head. He could see all of them, knew what he felt for each of them, but something seemed different about Adam. The pride and love he felt for the others wasn't there when he thought about Adam.

Ianto let out a startled yelp when Jack jumped up from his seat and bounded from the room. He followed him, watching as Jack thumped away at Tosh's computer, bringing up various CCTV images. "What are you looking at?" he inquired, stepping up next to Jack.

Together they watched Tosh and Adam converse, until Adam said the word 'remember' and placed a hand on her shoulder. Jack switched to another image and they watched as Adam did the same with Owen, and then with Gwen.

Jack closed his eyes, trying to think back a few days. "Of course," he whispered. "He did the same to us. We were in the car park after coming out of Argos. Adam came up to us, said 'remember' and put his hands on our shoulders."

x

Four sets of eyes looked up at him; two of them shining with confusion, one displaying trust, while the other looked downright distraught.

"How can I do this?" Tosh cried, looking at the Retcon pill on the table in front of her. "Adam loves me and I love him. How can you expect me to give that up?" she sobbed.

Jack closed his eyes, he had known convincing the team that this was the right thing to do would be difficult, but he'd not known how painful it would be to witness Tosh's internal struggle.

"He invaded your mind, Tosh," he whispered. "That isn't love. That's like an invasion of privacy only worse and a hell of a lot more personal. You don't deserve that, please believe me."

She must have seen some kind of sincerity shining in his eyes because she slowly reached out and picked up the small white pill. "I hope you know what you're doing," she murmured, swallowing the tablet with a mouthful of water.

"Owen," Jack spoke up before the doctor could take his own tablet, "what risks will the Retcon have on the baby?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "We've never had to Retcon a pregnant person before. There's no way to tell."

"I have to take it," Ianto interrupted. "The last thing I want to do is harm the baby, but this is the only way to defeat Adam."

Jack smiled and ran his hand through Ianto's hair. Pressing his lips to Ianto's forehead he whispered, "I love you."

Ianto grinned back at him as returned the sentiment before he swallowed the Retcon pill with a gulp of water, erasing his memory of the past two days.

x

Jack's eyes fluttered open and he frowned when he realised he was alone in the cells, sitting opposite Janet. There were dried tear tracks on his cheeks, but he couldn't remember why he had been crying.

He slowly stood up, groaning when he felt his muscles protest against the action. His head was pounding and he had a sneaky feeling he had been dosed with Retcon.

The team were working at their stations when he returned. "There you are," Ianto called, spotting his lover across the Hub. "Where were you?"

"The cells," Jack replied, running his hand through his hair. "What happened?" he asked, stepping up behind Ianto and resting a hand on his shoulder.

"No idea," the younger Time Agent replied.

"We were all Retconned and the CCTV footage has been wiped," Owen called from his workstation.

Jack's blue eyes widened and he stared at Ianto. "You were Retconned?" he questioned worriedly. "What about the baby?"

Ianto smiled and kissed him softly, ignoring Owen's snort of disgust. "Owen's done some tests and everything seems to be fine," he assured his lover.

"Well…" Ianto glanced over at Tosh, who was sitting next to a large bunch of flowers.

"You got an admirer, Tosh?" Jack teased, grinning when the young woman blushed.

"The card says they're from Owen," she whispered, trying to focus on her work.

Owen sighed in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you? They're not from me!" he almost cried, making Jack and Ianto laugh at him.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Canon character death (technically)

Chapter 8a

During Ianto's sixth and seventh months, the Rift was blissfully quiet. Any spikes had been small, and able to be handled by one of two members of the team. Ianto wasn't sure if Jack realised he was doing it, but the older Time Agent had started delegating the tasks more thoroughly throughout the rest of the team; choosing to spend time at the Hub with Ianto, who had resigned himself to the task of co-ordinating missions from his workstation.

It was during his eighth month that everything started to go bad.

It all started when his computer beeped and he frowned when he saw an email from Jack, who was a few feet away in his office. "That's so lazy!" he called through the open door.

_'I have a friend coming into town for a few days. Could you book a hotel for me, please? J xx.'_

Ianto rolled his eyes and was about to reply when he noted a postscript on the bottom of the email.

_'Ps. Don't get jealous, it's not what you think.'_

With a chuckle, Ianto got to his feet and made his way into Jack's office; he was positive he had started to waddle a few weeks ago, but Jack swore blind he wasn't, even though Ianto knew he was lying so he didn't get shot.

"I'm not your secretary," he stated, entering the office and lowering himself to the low couch with difficulty.

Jack grinned and quickly got up from behind his desk, bounding across the room and flopping down next to his lover. "I was only trying to give you something to do so you don't get bored," he pouted.

His hand slid across Ianto's stomach, fingertips lightly pressing against his bump. Ianto winced when he felt the baby move inside of him; over the past few months whenever Jack touched his stomach, their child seemed to be able to sense its daddy's presence and would end up dancing happily under his touch; usually shifting and using Ianto's bladder as a football.

"Who's this friend of yours?" Ianto asked, leaning back and closing his eyes, feeling tiredness slowly creep up on him.

Jack spotted Ianto drifting off and got up, slowly and carefully moving the younger Time Agent so he was lying across the couch. "Martha Jones," Jack whispered, perching on the edge and pressing his lips against his forehead.

"Martha?" Ianto repeated, cracking his eyes open. "The same Martha you were at the end of the universe with?"

He nodded his head. "One and the same," he grinned, kissing Ianto slowly. "The wonderful Martha Jones. You'll love her."

Ianto groaned and kissed him back for a moment before his eyes flew open. "How are we going to explain this?"

Jack purred, slipping his tongue into Ianto's mouth, tasting every inch. "Explain what?" he asked, his voice muffled by his lover's mouth.

He placed a hand in the centre of Jack's chest, pushing him back a little. "Are you kidding?" he asked incredulously. "I'm eight months pregnant, Will. Last I checked that's not exactly normal in this century."

Jack chuckled and nuzzled Ianto's cheek, pressing feather kisses against his skin. "Martha's not exactly your typical 21st century girl," he replied.

x

Martha closed the case and turned around to face Ianto. She was still finding it a little hard to accept that the man in front of her was pregnant, but if she had learnt anything from travelling with the Doctor, it was to never take anything for granted.

"So," she began, "Jack asked me if I could get you a UNIT cap to wear."

Ianto laughed and rolled his eyes. "Did he?" Martha nodded her head, giggling when he winked at her. "Well, red is my colour."

She chuckled, "So, am I right in thinking you and he…?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm pregnant, Martha. I think it's safe to say we've slept together."

Martha sighed and shook her head, "I didn't mean just sex," she replied exasperated. "I meant do you…"

"Oh," Ianto whispered, the spark of recognition lighting in his eyes. "We… dabble," he finally answered.

She practically bounced. "Really?" Ianto nodded his eyes, smirking at her. "What's his 'dabbling' like?"

Ianto pretended to think about his response for a moment before he responded. "Innovative. Bordering on the avant garde."

Martha squealed and hugged him tightly – well, as best as she could given his present size. "You have to tell me everything," she gushed, looping her arm through his and helping him from the medical bay into the main Hub.

x

Ianto thought he was going to lose his mind. No; he was positive he was going to lose it.

Everyone's comms units had gone down almost an hour ago. He had tried every method of communication he could think of, but nothing was working. Ianto had even tried using his Vortex Manipulator to get in touch with Jack, but either the signal wasn't getting through somehow, or Jack was purposely ignoring him for some reason.

He frowned and rubbed at his stomach distractedly; it felt strange. A little bit like a mixture of indigestion and constipation.

"Probably just something you ate," he reasoned, before he paused and realised he was talking to himself. He was wrong; he already had lost his mind.

Mercifully the lift roared to life, preventing him from analysing his deteriorating mental state further.

"About time!" he shouted, stalking across the Hub as best as he could. "Where the fuck have you been? I've been trying to…"

He trailed off when he saw his colleagues sombre faces and the figure they were supporting between them. Owen was deathly pale, in fact Ianto was positive there was no colour in him at all. Except for the crimson blood staining the front of the doctor's shirt.

"What happened?" Ianto croaked, taking a step back to allow them to step away from the lift. He hated that he couldn't help the three women with Owen. "Where's Jack?" he demanded, only just realising the other Time Agent hadn't returned.

Martha threw him a look and he immediately rolled his eyes, tapping his fingers to his temple before sliding onto the sofa. The women exchanged a concerned look before Tosh nodded and helped shift her load of Owen off onto Gwen.

Ianto watched silently as Martha and Gwen struggled with Owen's unconscious body, taking him down to the medical bay.

"Tosh, what happened?" Ianto whispered when the Japanese woman sat down next to him, her dark eyes rimmed red with tears.

"Owen…" she murmured, shaking her head as a fresh wave of tears built up. "Ianto…"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling Tosh against his side and burying his face in her silky hair. "Shh…" he whispered. "It's okay. He'll be alright. Just wait, Martha'll fix him up."

Tosh shook her head, pressing her face against his neck, allowing her friend's scent comfort her. "Oh, Ianto…" she sobbed. "Owen's dead."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 8b

Ianto gasped and his hand immediately flew up to his mouth. "No," he whispered, his voice muffled by his palm. "No," he repeated, lowering his hand and getting to his feet, pushing Tosh's hands away when she tried to pull him back down. "He can't be…"

Slowly he made his way across the work area to the medical bay and looking down at the examination table. Owen was lying naked on the table – a sheet covering his more private parts – as Martha slowly cleaned his skin with the extendable showerhead.

"He can't be," Ianto murmured, clutching the railing in front of him as his head fell forward, tears spilling over.

Martha quickly finished cleaning Owen, turning the water off and leaving it to hang off the edge as she quickly made her way up the stairs.  
Ianto was literally sobbing when she managed to arrive next to him, his knuckles white as his hands clung to the bar. "He…" Ianto shook his head, unable to explain how he was feeling right then.

Owen had been going to deliver their baby in a little under a month. Over the past eight months, he and Owen had become closer and closer. Ianto knew it had something to do with the fact that only Owen had known about the pregnancy to start with.

Martha reached around and took hold of Ianto's wrist, pressing her index and middle fingers firmly against his skin. "Ianto," she gasped, "your heartbeat's racing." She turned him around and cupped his cheeks, staring into his eyes. "I need you to calm down right now. You're going to hyperventilate."

Ianto continued crying, turning his eyes back to Owen's lifeless form. He couldn't get the image of them bickering over the coldness of the ultrasound gel and needles – Ianto rolling his eyes at Owen's small prick jokes – out of his head.

The doctor clicked her fingers in front of Ianto's face. "Listen to me," she said firmly, leading the young man over to the couch, which Tosh and Gwen hurriedly moved off of. "You need to calm down. Take big deep breaths," Martha instructed. "If not for your own health, but for the baby's."

Ianto's eyes fluttered closed and he tried to fight down the images of Owen bleeding to death his mind had conjured up. "I can't," he whimpered, shaking his head and trying to get back up.

Martha growled and placed her hands on Ianto's shoulders, pushing him back against the couch with a strength none of them knew she possessed. "Ianto Jones, I did not want to do this," she stated, almost regretfully.

He watched fearfully as she reached in to the pocket of her lab coat, pulling out a syringe. "What's that?" he demanded.

"A sedative," Martha replied, pulling the protective cap off. "I'm not letting you endanger that child's life."

Ianto's eyes screwed closed and he tried to pull away, but the grip she had on his arm was frighteningly tight and he had no choice but to let her slide the needle into his vein.

x

Slowly the world slid back into focus and Ianto groaned, clutching his head as he sat up. Martha had given him some seriously heavy duty sedatives; he felt like his head had been run over by a freight train. Damn that woman and her needles.

"Easy," a very familiar voice stated.

Hands went to his shoulders, pushing him back against the couch. Cold fingers were at his eyelids, prying them apart as a light was shone into his eyes.

Ianto was dreaming, he had to be. There was no way he could be sat opposite a dead Owen, being examined as normal.

"Owen!" Jack shouted from his office door, making the doctor throw the harshest glare in the Captain's direction. "Martha needs to see you."

Ignoring Jack, Owen turned back to Ianto, "Are you feeling okay?"

Ianto nodded his head mutely, not understanding what kind of parallel universe he had slipped into.

He watched silently as Owen got up sulkily and stormed across the Hub into the medical bay where Martha was waiting for him.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked, crossing the work area and resting his hand on Ianto's shoulder.

The touch of his lover seemed to snap Ianto out of his daze and he pushed Jack's hand away, slowly getting to his feet, ignoring the blood that shot through his head as he moved. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, putting his hands on his hips.

"Tosh told me Owen was dead and now he's here, alive and…" He sighed in exasperation and ran his hand through his hair.

He turned his eyes away from Jack, not looking at the older man as he tried to gather his thoughts. He frowned when he spotted a familiar metal object sitting on Tosh's desk.  
But its presence didn't make sense, they had destroyed that when Suzie had tried to kill Gwen. Unless…

"You didn't," Ianto whispered, feeling the light of recognition in his mind. He turned to Jack, his eyes blazing furiously. "Tell me you didn't," he instructed.

Jack nodded defiantly. "I couldn't let him die."

The punch Ianto landed on his jaw was so sudden that Jack actually fell back a few steps. "You're such a fucking fool, Will," he hissed. "You know better than to mess with something like that."

He scowled and touched his jaw gently, hissing at the flare of pain he felt. "He couldn't die like that," Jack replied calmly. "You know what it says about him in the history books."

"History is being re-written all the time, Will," Ianto replied sourly. "God you're such a thick bastard sometimes."

The strange feeling was back in his stomach and he frowned, rubbing his hand over the baby, trying to soothe the ache.

Jack spotted the action and lowered Ianto to the couch, ignoring the other man's protests about being fine. "I know you're pissed off at me," Jack began, making Ianto snort with laughter. "But you need to calm down. Your blood pressure is…"

"I don't care about my blood pressure," Ianto snapped.

Jack froze and studied Ianto's face. "Ianto, your blood pressure was sky high. You… If Martha hadn't sedated you," Jack placed a hand on Ianto's stomach, "you would have lost the baby."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 9a

Owen leant back on his hands, looking down at the ground below him, swinging his legs back and forth over the buildings edge. He had never understood what Jack's fascination with rooftops had been before, but being dead seemed to have given him a whole new understanding about himself and the people around him.

Being alone on a secluded rooftop was strangely liberating. High above the world, Owen watched as the people below him went about their daily activities. Scurrying from buses to office buildings, diving inside a coffee shop, grabbing a Danish and steaming coffee before heading to that boring meeting they had been dreading all week.

Seeing people so comfortable in their routine made Owen realise exactly what he had died to protect. Sure, Martha had been in danger, but in the end it came down to the people below him, hell even the people he couldn't see. If Torchwood got slack with their defences, any number of alien species could see that as an opportunity to take over the planet. Everyone around him would end up like Katie…

And that wasn't something Owen was going to let happen. Ever. Over his undead body.

x

Martha took a deep breath and tried to read Owen's notes once more. Again, she found herself unable to read the other doctor's scrawl. It was illegible, there was no way anyone could understand what the text said.

"You really are cute when you frown," Owen's voice said from above her.

The young woman span around, looking up to find Owen leaning against the railings, watching her with a bemused smile on his face. "What does that say?" she demanded, thrusting the sheaf of paper up to him.

Owen grinned and took the notes from her, his brown eyes skimming them quickly. "Ianto's delivery date is in approximately two weeks," he told her. "He's going to need another vitamin injection soon. Good luck with that," Owen muttered, handing her the notes back. "He's crap with needles."

"Why are you wishing me luck?" Martha demanded. "You're his doctor."

Owen raised an eyebrow, holding his left hand up, displaying his broken and bound fingers. "I'm kinda incapable of delivering a baby, don't you think?" he replied.

"Well, sure," Martha began, "but I'm not… I have no idea what I'm doing here."

The other doctor snorted with laughter. "And you think I do?" He shook his head, "I've never dealt with a male pregnancy before; I'm sure there aren't many doctors in this century that have."

"What do I need to do?" Martha asked, picking her pen and pad up, ready to make notes of her own.

Owen offered her a smile, pushing him away from the railing and leaving the medical bay. At the exit he looked over his shoulder and replied, "Ask Ianto."

x

Back in University, if anyone had told Martha Jones that she would be working for a government agency who dealt with protecting the planet from alien invasion, she would have laughed and advised them they'd been drinking too much.

If anyone had mentioned that she'd be sat opposite two men from the fifty first century, one of them very heavily pregnant, asking them questions about said pregnancy, she would have booked them into the nearest mental institution immediately.

As it stood, she had no idea about what questions to ask, other than the ones she would normally ask a woman.

Jack and Ianto seemed to understand her uneasiness because they smiled at her. "You don't have to do this now if you're not ready," Jack assured her. "There's no pressure. We can wait a few more days."

Martha shook her head, inhaling deeply through her nose and releasing the air through her mouth. "No," she responded, shaking her shoulders in a manner similar to an athlete. "I can do this."

"No offence, but can you do it quickly?" Ianto interrupted through gritted teeth. Why did people insist on slathering that stupid ultrasound gel all over him when it was still freezing cold?

She blinked, remembering that she had been about to use the scanner. "Oh, sorry," she murmured.

Martha lightly pressed the scanner against Ianto's stomach, watching with wide eyes as the image of a baby appeared on the screen. "Wow," she whispered, staring at the image in awe. "That's really a baby."

"Did you think we were lying?" Jack asked, helping Ianto clean his stomach.

"Well, no, but…" She shook her head, turning the machine off and grabbing her clipboard.

She took another breath and sat down opposite the couple, asking the first question that sprung to mind. "What happens when the baby's due? Do you give birth naturally, or…?"  
Ianto winced at the thought of giving birth naturally. "That would…" He physically shuddered, "That's not possible," he replied. "At least, I hope it isn't. It's too painful to even imagine…"

"C-Section," Jack replied for his lover, who was too busy stuck on the thought of a natural birth. "He'll need a C-section."

Martha nodded her head, making a note on the clipboard. "Sorry, guys," she said, looking up at them once more, "I know Owen's been through this with you already, but can you run it by me again? How on Earth can a man get pregnant?"

Both men chuckled at her question. They had known it wouldn't take her long to ask them that question, when Ianto had explained it to Owen, the doctor had ordered him to get a head scan; Martha had accepted things far too easily.

"You know we're from the fifty-first century?" Jack began and she nodded, following him so far. "Well, over the next three thousand years humans will mix with various other species, branching out into different regions of space. Human and alien DNA will mix, evolving the human race."

The black woman's eyes went wide, "You're part alien?"

Ianto laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "About ninety per cent human," he responded. "Human's evolved to the point that either sex can carry children. Here," he indicated to his groin, "everything is male. But inside here," he rested his hand on his lower torso, "is female."

Martha nodded in understanding, scribbling all over her pad, making Ianto and Jack exchanged amused glances.

When she reached the bottom of the page she looked back up at Ianto, "Owen said you were shot and the blood loss almost made you miscarry," she said, knowing there was no way to make her words any less painful, "and your blood pressure got dangerously high. Are male pregnancies high risk in the future?"

"Not more than any other pregnancy. There's always going to be risks like that," Jack replied.

"Any history of problems this extreme in the past, or in the family?" Martha asked, pen poised over her paper.

Instantly, she felt Ianto stiffen next to her. "Yes," he replied shortly, pushing his T-shirt back down and slowly getting up from the examination table. "If you'll excuse me," he muttered, brushing past Jack and leaving the room.

"Ianto, I…" Martha tried to head after him, but Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, rooting her to the spot.

"It's okay," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her, hugging her tightly to show how much he appreciated what she was doing for them. "He's just…" Jack hesitated, "that's still a sensitive subject for him. I'll talk to him."

x

Jack didn't have chance to talk to Ianto until they arrived back home later that evening. The Captain watched silently as Ianto stripped down to his underwear and climbed under the covers without speaking a word.

Silently, Jack removed his own clothes and followed suit, leaning up on one arm next to his lover. "She was only trying to help," Jack whispered, drawing circles on Ianto's chest with his index finger.

Ianto took a deep breath and finally met Jack's eyes with his own. There were tears filling the corners and Jack pressed his lips against the younger Time Agent's cheek. "I know," Ianto whispered, closing his eyes and turning away from Jack. "It just hurts."

Jack smiled sadly, moving so his body was pressed against Ianto's back. "I know," he murmured, placing his hands on Ianto's stomach, grinning when he felt the baby stir before finding a comfortable position. "I know."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Past parent and child death
> 
> This chapter is a flashback

Chapter 9b

_Ianto had mixed feelings about becoming an older brother. It had been him and his parents for so long – six years since his older brother had left – that the possibility of having someone younger than him in the house was strange._

_"What if it doesn't like me?" sixteen year old Ianto asked, looking up at his dad nervously over breakfast one morning._

_Lewis Jones smiled and took a bite from his breakfast. "He will like you," he assured his son. "In fact, I'm sure he'll love you."_

_Ianto still didn't look convinced and Lewis set down his utensil. "Do you want to go visit?" he asked._

_The teenager's eyes lit up immediately and he nodded his head, bounding through the living complex to his bedroom where he hurried to get dressed._

_In three minutes twelve seconds, he was back in the kitchen ready to go. "That was quick," Lewis commented, finishing off his breakfast._

_Ianto rolled his eyes. "Come on," he whined, tugging at his dad's arm. "I want to see if the baby likes me."_

_Lewis laughed and allowed his son to lead him from the building. "You do know he hasn't been born yet, don't you?"_

_x_

_The contractions were coming closer together, as they had been for the past two days. They had started over dinner on Thursday night and had been continuing ever since. With two high risk pregnancies in their history, Lewis had wasted no time in getting his partner to the hospital._

_The doctors apparently agreed that it was best for everyone if they stayed there until the baby was born, just as a precaution doctors had assured them._

_Paul Jones looked up when he heard the door open, only to wince as another contraction flew across his stomach. "Hey," he greeted wearily, flopping back against the pillows as the pain subsided._

_Lewis grinned and leant down, capturing his lover's lips in a passionate kiss. Paul groaned and tried to deepen the kiss, completely forgetting about Ianto's presence until the teenager poked him in the side._

_"Stop it," Ianto instructed, sitting on the side of the bed and studying his tad's stomach._

_Paul chuckled and reluctantly pulled away from his lover. "Good morning to you too," he greeted, ruffling Ianto's hair playfully. "Why are you looking at me like I'm about to explode?" he asked, seeing that Ianto's gaze was fixed on his stomach._

_Lewis rolled his eyes, dragging the chair closer so he could sit next to Paul's bed. "Ianto here, thinks that the baby isn't going to like him," he stated, nodding at their middle son._

_Ianto blushed and glared at his father, who childishly stuck his tongue out in retaliation._

_"Why do you think that?" Paul asked, seconds before another contraction hit. He reached out and grabbed the nearest hand – Lewis' – and squeezed tightly, trying to breathe through the pain._

_Lewis grimaced and pulled his hand away, shaking it a little as he tried to regain feeling. "Is it because of…?"_

_"No," Ianto replied quickly, knowing his father had been about to say his older brother's name. His tad always got sad when anyone mentioned his name, so they generally avoided saying it when they could. "I just… Get the feeling I'm not going to be a good big brother."_

_Paul smiled and hugged Ianto tightly, "Every time you've touched my stomach this last few months, this baby has done nothing but kick me. It likes you, Ianto," he assured him. "Have no doubt about that. This little thing can't wait to get out of me and meet his big brother."_

_"I…" he could feel another contraction building, "I just wish he'd do it sooner, rather than later," he added, gripping Ianto's hand painfully as the contraction arrived in full._

_When Paul released his hand, Ianto scowled and rubbed it, making Lewis chuckle at the expression on his face._

_The door opened and a young nurse bustled into the room, throwing the family a smile. "Good morning, Mr Jones," she greeted, consulting his electronic chart before pressing two fingers against his pulse point. "How are the contractions?"_

_"Painful," Paul muttered darkly, scowling at the woman, who was far too cheerful. Lewis placed a hand over his lover's and the scowl reduced to a glower, but the meaning was still crystal clear._

_"How close together?"_

_"Like I've been timing them!" Paul shouted._

_"Two minutes five seconds apart," Ianto responded immediately._

_The nurse looked at him in surprise, but Paul and Lewis just rolled their eyes; they were used to Ianto's knowledge of exactly how much time had passed._

_"Then, it looks like you're ready to have your baby now," she smiled at Paul, before leaving the room to get the equipment needed and the doctor._

_x_

_Ianto stared at the caskets in front of him. He felt like he should have been crying, but his eyes were dry. Throughout the whole ceremony, he hadn't cried once. Any tears he may have had were gone, cried through the last week of comforting his father as best as he could, whilst trying to come to terms with the events himself._

_The silver plaque on the smaller casket read, 'Lee Edward Jones, 25 October 5073'. He hadn't even made it to a whole day old. The doctors said his lungs weren't developed and his windpipe was constricted due to the position he had been in._

_The teenager reached out and dragged his fingers over the plaque on the larger casket, feeling the engraved text underneath his fingertips. 'Paul Jones, 7 July 5029 – 25 October 5073'._

_The operation to remove Lee had gone wrong somewhere; one of the nurses had nicked an artery. The doctor had tried to stem the bleeding, but any attempts made the injury worse. With all their technology, they still hadn't found a machine that stopped blood loss._

_Paul had bled to death within minutes. He had never seen his new-born son._

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Past unborn child loss
> 
> This chapter is a flashback

Chapter 9c

_Will frowned and looked at himself in the mirror, turning to the side and examining his reflection. He was getting huge – massive – he was positive that he'd float if he got in the ocean nearby. Not that they were allowed out to go swimming, it was too dangerous living under the threat of invasion. The no swimming rule was doubly strict for him, given his present condition. And he wasn't even that far gone yet._

_Arms slipped around him from behind and he felt a warm body press against his back. "You're up early," his lover murmured in his ear._

_Will smiled and placing his hands over those on his stomach, "I couldn't sleep," he whispered, staring at their reflection in the mirrored glass. "Your daughter spent the whole night kicking me."_

_Ben chuckled against Will's shoulder, "Why is she my daughter when she does something you don't like?" he asked, skimming his fingers over Will's taunt skin._

_"Because," Will responded with a smirk, turning his head and kissing the side of Ben's face._

_The fifteen year old lovers pulled apart and set about getting dressed. Halfway through pulling on his shirt, Will sneezed violently, groaning as he pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead._

_"Are you okay?" Ben asked, crossing the room and placing a hand on Will's shoulder worriedly._

_Will nodded his head, sniffling lightly, frowning and rubbing a hand over his stomach. He had been feeling little twinges through his lower torso for the past few days; probably just indigestion, he told himself._

_"I'm fine," he replied, pushing Ben's hand away so he could finish getting dressed. "Just a bit of a cold," he added, fastening his belt._

_"A cold?" Ben replied incredulously. "You were vaccinated against that months ago."_

_Ben pressed his hand against his lover's forehead. "Will, you're burning up," he gasped, his eyes widening at the temperature of his skin._

_Will shook his head, "I'm okay," he responded weakly, not even believing what he was saying himself._

_"You're not okay," Ben insisted, quickly undressing Will – leaving him in just his underwear – and leading him back to the bed. "Stay here," he whispered, pressing his lips against Will's forehead, "I'm going to get the doctor."_

_x_

_"It's a virus," the doctor stated, closing his case with a snap._

_Ben froze and looked away from Will, who had slipped into a drug induced doze. "What?"_

_The doctor turned back to him, consulted the portable video card in his hands. "Will has contracted a virus," he repeated._

_He pressed several buttons and Ben watched as a 3D model of the virus strain materialised in the air. "This," he pointed to a particular section, "is what's causing the problem."_

_"So vaccinate him," Ben shrugged, pressing the cold cloth against Will's feverish forehead._

_The doctor pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his own brow. "Vaccinating him against the virus will more than likely…"_

_Will woke suddenly with a cry, clutching his stomach, leaning forward, his eyes screwed shut in pain. "Ben…" he panted, trying to ride through the pain. "It hurts…"_

_Ben frowned and pressed the cloth against Will's forehead again when he fell back against the pillows. "I know, love…" he whispered as Will back into a restless sleep.  
"He's losing the baby, isn't he?" Ben asked, turning back to the doctor._

_The older man nodded his head regretfully. "If we don't act immediately, it's possible he could die himself."_

_Torn between choosing the life of their daughter and the life of his lover, Ben felt his own soul die inside. Now he knew why underage parenthood was frowned upon – emotionally, teenagers just weren't ready to make the tough decisions adults made._

_"What…" He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, "What chance of survival does Will have if we don't do anything?"_

_"Slim to none," the doctor informed him._

_Ben felt tears burn the corner of his eyes as he nodded his head. Gambling with Will's life was not worth the risk. They could always have more children; there would never be another Will._

_The doctor squeezed his shoulder before reading into his kit. Ben watched with tear filled eyes as the doctor selected the relevant drugs on his video card, placing it over Will's forearm, transferring the drugs that would induce early labour, and thus cause Will to miscarry, into his blood stream._

_"Please forgive me," Ben whispered, turning his head to the side, tears streaming down his face, unable to watch as his family was torn apart beyond repair._

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 10

"No, sir," Martha replied firmly, pressing the button behind the desk in the tourist office and heading down the secret passageway that was revealed. "Things here are worse than we thought," she added, stepping through the cog door into the Hub.

"I think we should keep Captain Harkness under observation for longer," she added, smiling when she saw a bunch of roses on Ianto's desk. "Yes sir, I will keep you informed…"

She snapped the phone closed, childishly sticking her tongue out at the device before putting it down on Ianto's desk; she had been sharing it with the Time Agent during her visit.

"That bad, huh?" Ianto commented from behind her, making her spin around in surprise.

She threw him a glare, "You know, for someone so heavily pregnant, you're very quiet when you move."

Ianto laughed and shook his head. "That's Jack's fault," he replied. "He taught me how to be stealthy."

"Stealthy?" Martha repeated with a laugh, sitting on the edge of Ianto's desk.

"My boss thinks that Jack needs to be kept under surveillance," she told him, referring to the phone call. "Apparently I'm the person best qualified for the job. He doesn't know that I wouldn't tell him even if Jack was in league with some big alien cult. I hate him," she muttered, making Ianto laugh at the expression on her face.

After a short silence she asked, "Did Jack do something wrong?"

He frowned and shook his head. "No, why?"

Martha pointed to the flowers. "My boyfriend always sends me roses when he thinks he's done something wrong."

Ianto chuckled and plucked the card out from the flowers, handing it to her with a smile. "They're not from Jack," he whispered.

The small card was plain except for her name written in bold letters across the centre. "Who are they from?" she gasped, leaning forward and smelling a rose.

"Me," Ianto replied simply.

Martha's eyes widened. "Ianto, you didn't…"

He held his hand up, cutting her off mid-sentence, "I just wanted to say thank you for taking over from Owen. I know all of this isn't easy to deal with. And, I wanted to apologise for my behaviour yesterday, I was out of line. You were just trying to help."

Martha jumped to her feet and hugged Ianto tightly. "You have nothing to apologise for," she assured him. "Jack said this is a sensitive subject for you, it's okay."

Ianto nodded his head, sliding his arms around her and hugging her back tightly. "My tad died giving birth to my baby brother," he whispered.

She gasped in horror and sympathy, hugging him even tighter. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "If I'd known, I wouldn't…"

He cut her off, "You were just doing your job," he responded.

Their melancholy mood broke when the baby kicked between them. Martha giggled and pulled back. "I can't believe I felt that," she laughed happily.

Ianto scowled at his stomach. "Be glad you don't feel it all the time," he muttered darkly. He placed a hand over his bump, "Daddy's not here now, kid," he advised the unborn child.

Martha smiled and reached out her hand, stopping just before she touched him. "Do you mind, if I…?"

He shook his head, moving his own hand away so she could feel properly. The instant her palm touched his clothed skin the baby inside moved, throwing it's elbow against Ianto.

"Great," he muttered, "my own baby responds more to my partner and doctor than me."

The alarm sounded loudly, cutting through Ianto like a hot blade through butter. "Does that have to be so loud?" he demanded, whirling around and glaring at the newcomer.

Jack grinned and bounced up the stairs, greeting both Martha and Ianto with a kiss; although Ianto's was far more passionate than Martha's. "Hey, baby," he greeted, bending down and pressing a kiss on the bump.

Ianto groaned when he felt the baby dance happily inside of him. "See what I mean?" he asked, looking at Martha with a raised eyebrow. He pushed Jack away and took a step back, "If you'll excuse me, your child just landed on my bladder."

x

Two weeks later and Ianto was getting crankier by the day. It was almost time for him to give birth and all he wanted was for the damn kid to be out of him, and to be able to see his cock again.

Working out his due date had been relatively easy for Owen when Ianto had told him about the pregnancy. Ianto knew that the last time he and Jack had had sex was a few hours before the older Time Agent had left with the Doctor, so they had a pretty good idea about when the child was conceived and when it would be born.

They had decorated the second bedroom in their apartment in neutral tones, not knowing what sex the baby was going to be. Everything was ready, except the baby apparently.

Ianto had taken to spending most of his time at the Hub, mostly under Jack's supervision. The Captain wanted Ianto to be within easy reach of any necessary medical equipment.  
Jack grinned and crept up to his lover, placing his hand over his eyes. "Guess who," he whispered.

If Ianto could have rolled his eyes, he would have; instead he opted for elbowing Jack in the stomach. "Get off me," he muttered.

The older man pouted and took a step around Ianto so they were face to face. "Guess what," he instructed, unable to stop himself from grinning.

"If you've photocopied various parts of your body," Ianto began wearily, "I really couldn't…"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Not that." He grabbed hold of Ianto's hands and lead him away from the workstations, across the Hub to a door that had been locked ever since the assassin had arrived at Torchwood. "Close your eyes," he instructed.

"Will," Ianto sighed, trying to pull his hands from Jack's grip, "I'm really not in the mood."

He let out an exasperated sigh and tightened his grip on Ianto's hands. "I mean it, Ianto," he insisted. "Close your eyes."

Ianto huffed in annoyance and closed his eyes, "Fine," he muttered.

Jack released one hand and reached behind him, opening the door and carefully leading Ianto into the room, flicking on the light as he went.

"Okay, open them."

Ianto immediately did as he was told and gasped in surprise. It was a playroom. Everywhere he looked there were toys. Along one wall stood a cot and next to this there was a rocking chair, presumably for them to sit in while the baby was sleeping.

"Will," Ianto whispered, touching one of the large teddies reverently. "Did you do this?" he asked.

Jack nodded his head, beaming proudly. "Well, Owen helped me decorate, but the idea was mine…"

Ianto reached out, sliding his hand around the back of Jack's head and pulling him closer. Their lips met in a clumsy kiss and Ianto grinned, hugging Jack tightly. "I love it," he murmured, "it's wonderful."

"I figured it would be best if there was somewhere in the Hub that the baby could stay while we're at work," Jack shrugged, trying to look as though he wasn't blushing.

Ianto nuzzled his cheek. "It's perfect," he assured him.

Jack laughed happily and slid his arms around Ianto, kissing him passionately. Ianto responded in kind until they were both flushed and panting. 

Suddenly Ianto pulled away and clutched at his stomach. He let out a groan and squeezed his eyes closed as another wave of pain hit him, forcing him to double over as best as he could considering his current size. “Fuck that hurts,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Jack’s eyes widened as he realised what was happening. “Erm, Ianto…” he began. “I think those are labour pains.”

Ianto looked up and he scowled, "You think?"

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 11a

After an hour of putting up with Jack hovering around them, nervously chewing the ends of his fingers, Martha had finally had enough. She had placed her hands on Jack's back and pushed the Captain from the Medical bay; he was positive she had actually kicked him on the arse.

With a sigh Jack slid down into Gwen's seat; her and Tosh were out chasing a Weevil sighting, while Owen helped Martha with Ianto.

Ianto… Jack closed his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. He was… probably cursing Jack's very name – both real and fictional – at that moment.

He got to his feet and, unable to keep still, found himself pacing back and forth in the small room. He hated feeling so useless and wished there was something he could do.   
Jack paused as a twinge of pain flittered across his stomach. He scowled and slid into a nearby chair. He knew that the pain wasn't real; a ghostly echo of a feeling experienced long ago.

With a sad sigh, he pressed his hand against his stomach, remembering what it felt like when it had been swollen due to his first – and only – pregnancy. He hadn't been lying when he said he was never planning on getting pregnant again.

Getting pregnant with Ben's baby at fifteen had been a mistake, but after a few weeks, he had come to accept that they were going to be parents. His mother had been supportive throughout the whole – and, admittedly, short – pregnancy, helping them where she could and stepping back when there was something they needed to figure out for themselves.

Jack had never resented Ben for making the decision to save his life, rather than that of their daughter; Megan Lily, they had decided as soon as they found out it was a girl.

The pain of losing someone so tiny was… indescribable; there was no way Jack could put his feelings into words. But while losing Megan had been beyond horrible, slowly losing Ben had been even worse.

They were okay for the first three months after losing the baby, helping each other grieve and heal. Then, almost as though someone had flicked a switch, they would be at each other's throats, ready to snap at the smallest thing.

Jack had modelled through most of his childhood; nothing to spectacular, just enough to get money to help his mom, but everything changed when he was noticed by a representative of the Time Agency.

No one had ever seen the most senior agent, his presence was generally excepted to be a myth itself; no one even knew his name. Instead representatives were sent out to recruit people who would make respectable Agents. Jack had been the first person from the Boeshane Peninsula to be signed up.

While he had been happier than he could ever remember, Ben had seen nothing but green at his lover's admittance into the Agency. Ben's application was rejected for reasons Jack had never known.

He had never seen the other man again after that tense meeting.

x

Ianto groaned and screwed his eyes closed against the pain. There was a screen, blocking the view of his stomach from sight, which he was glad about; there was no way he wanted to see his insides that close.

"Contractions are very close together now," Owen commented, glancing at the screen which flared every time Ianto had a contraction.

The Time Agent grabbed a fist full of Owen's shirt, dragging him closer so their faces were inches apart. "Get Jack and my gun," he hissed through his teeth. "I need something to shoot."

Owen laughed and rolled his eyes, while Martha tutted disapprovingly and glared at him over the screen. "You are not shooting him," she told him.

Martha looked over at Owen, "You ready?"

He nodded firmly and focused his attention once more. Normally the procedure would require more than two people, but without the presence of any other medical professionals, they knew they would have to make do.

"Right, Ianto," she spoke, looking over at the sweaty man. "You're numbed up, so you shouldn't be able to feel me. If you do feel something, I want to know immediately, okay?"

Ianto nodded his head, gripping the side of the exam table tightly. He wished Jack was there, purely because he wanted something to squeeze. "Just get the damn thing out of me!" he snarled.

Martha and Owen exchanged questioning glances once more, and with a nod of approval from the other doctor, she began to start the C-Section.

x

Jack was still sat in the nursery, a hand on his stomach, a short while later. He wasn't doing anything much, just brooding; wondering what would have happened if he hadn't lost Megan all them years ago.

For starters, he wouldn't have met Ianto. He knew that with some degree of certainty. If he'd have carried the baby to term, he and Ben probably wouldn't have drifted apart and he probably wouldn't have joined the Time Agency.

But, glancing around the room he was in, seeing all the baby toys their offspring would soon be playing with, warmed something inside Jack; something he thought had died a long time ago.

Being with Ianto meant the world to him, he wouldn't have come all the way back if he didn't think they could have a future together, but he couldn't wait for them to be a family. All three of them.

The floor creaked and Jack looked up, seeing a bloodied Martha standing in the doorway.

"Jack, I…"

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 11b

"Jack, I…" She took a deep breath and grinned at him, "I think you should follow me."

Jack jumped to his feet, dropping the teddy he had been clutching to the floor and bounded out of the room, almost pushing Martha over in the process.

In the entrance to the medical bay, all the breath left Jack's lungs in the space of a few seconds and he had to clutch the railing to stop himself from passing out.

Ianto was propped up against the examination table, his sweat pants slung low on his hips and his chest bare. What was taking his breath away, however, was the tiny bundle of blankets Ianto was cradling against his chest.

The younger man heard footsteps above him and looked up to see Jack watching them. "Hey, daddy," he greeted with a tired smile.

Jack felt as though he were in slow motion as he made his way down the stairs to Ianto. "Is it…"

Ianto grinned and parted the blankets a little. All the breath he had regained, instantly disappeared again at the sight. Jack had heard people say that new born babies were funny looking; all red and wrinkled. But the child in front of him was the most perfect thing in the entire world.

"Say hello to your son," Ianto whispered, nodding for Jack to come closer.

Carefully he transferred the child into Jack's arm. The small boy made a little whine of protest when he felt the warmth of Ianto's skin disappear. As Jack held him close to his chest, he shuffled closer and drifted back off to sleep, content in his daddy's arms.

Jack smiled, feeling tears well up as he glanced down at their child. Even though his conception had been a temporary lapse in judgement of their behalf, he knew he wouldn't change a single event.

He carefully leant down, kissing Ianto tenderly, showing how much he meant to him in that kiss. "Thank you," Jack whispered against Ianto's lips. "This means more than…" he shook his head, unable to think of words that could describe how much being a father meant to him. "I l…"

Jack trailed off when he saw the thin scar across Ianto's abdomen, instead of the stitches that should have been there. "What the…?"

Ianto's gaze followed his. "Oh, Martha got this device from UNIT – I think they stole it from Torchwood London. It patches people up instantly, leaving no need for stitches and only leaving a faint scar."

"Sorry, guys," Owen interrupted. Together they turned to face the doctor, glaring at him a little. "I need to know what you're gonna call him," Owen informed them. "For the birth certificate."

Jack and Ianto's eyes met and together they nodded, silently agreeing on the name they had been discussing for a while now.

"Dominic Paul Harkness-Jones."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 12

Little Dominic was just settling back to sleep after a little fuss, when the alarm sounded and the cog door rolled open. Instantly he was awake and screaming the place down.

"Shhh," Ianto whispered, bouncing his son up and down a little in an attempt to soothe him while Jack used his wrist strap to deactivate the alarm. "We need to do something about that," Ianto informed Jack as Dominic eventually slipped back to sleep.

Tosh and Gwen entered the Hub, looking dishevelled and exhausted; apparently their Weevil hunting hadn't gone as well as they would have hoped.

"Aww…" Tosh complained, crossing the Hub quickly. "You had it already." Jack had called them a while ago to inform his team members that Ianto had gone into labour.

"Him," Ianto corrected, carefully sliding the baby into his friend's arms. "Dominic Paul Harkness-Jones," he added, smiling affectionately at Jack.

It had been the other man's idea to give their son the middle name of Ianto's tad. Ianto had argued that Jack's own father had been killed as well, but Jack had insisted that Dominic was going to have 'Paul' as his middle name, no ifs, ands or buts.

"That's a long name, isn't it?" Gwen commented, shrugging out of her jacket and throwing it over the back of her jacket.

Ianto tried to not glare at her as she stepped closer to Tosh to look at the baby. Jack spotted the action and placed his hand on Ianto's shoulder, squeezing lightly as he silently tried to reassure his lover that he had nothing to worry about when it came to Gwen.

The former police officer looked at Jack questioningly, silently asking if she could hold Dominic. Jack looked at Ianto with wide eyes, looking a signal that it was okay. He had heard stories about how protective mothers (or in this case fathers) could be over the baby they had carried for nine months.

Ianto gave a tense nod, watching intently as Tosh transferred Dominic into Gwen's arms.

Jack grinned when he saw Gwen holding Dominic, making silly baby noises at him as he looked up at her with questioning blue eyes. One day she would be a great mum to a wonderful child, he knew it.

When Dominic began to cry, Ianto started to get up but Jack pressed on his shoulder, telling him he'd do it. Carefully Jack relieved Gwen of the crying baby and cradled him to his chest.

"What's wrong?" he whispered in baby-speak. "You hungry?" He took the outstretched bottle Ianto was holding out to him and pressed it to Dominic's lips, urging him to open his mouth against the intrusion. "That's it…" he cooed, grinning happily as Dominic fed.

He paused when he sensed people's eyes on him and looked up to see the other three members of Torchwood looking at him with smiles on their faces. "What?" he asked defensively.

x

It had taken a bit of effort to pry Dominic away from the girls later that evening. After getting cleaned up, Martha had returned and immediately began fawning over the small boy with Gwen and Tosh. Even Owen hadn't been able to resist holding him; everyone had grinned when Dominic had begun to suck contentedly on the doctor's index finger.

At six o'clock that evening Ianto hadn't been able to keep his eyes open for much longer, and Jack had announced that he was taking his boys home.

As soon as they arrived back, Jack instructed Ianto go get some sleep. Exhaustion had been creeping up on him slowly all day and Jack knew the other man was ready to drop.

Pressing a kiss against Ianto's lips, Jack headed into the bathroom, Dominic's carry seat still in hand.

After daddy and son had been bathed, Jack climbed out of the lukewarm water and set Dominic down on the changing mat. Drying himself off quickly, he turned his attention back to his son.

Dominic giggled when Jack blew a raspberry kiss against his stomach, and Jack grinned back at him; he couldn't stop smiling.

Ianto was still awake when they returned, dry and ready for bed. "I thought I told you to rest," Jack commented, gently settling Dominic down into the Moses basket next to Ianto's side of the bed.

The younger man grinned and leant up on one elbow, looking down at their child with a look of adoration on his face. "Both of you woke me up giggling," he commented.

Jack smiled apologetically and slid under the covers next to Ianto. He moved so his chest was pressing against Ianto's back, sliding his arm around his lover's waist.

Ianto turned his head and pressed a kiss to the side of Jack's face. "Look at him, Will," he whispered, settling back down and looking at Dominic. "We made that."

The older man smiled and hugged Ianto tighter. "Yeah, we did," he murmured.

Together they fell asleep watching their son slumber next to the bed.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 13

Ianto watched from the upper levels of the medical bay as Owen fastened the bandage around Gwen's arm. It wasn't a deep wound, and would heal nicely, but he knew it would sting for a few days. Unfortunately for Gwen, Owen hadn't been able to use the alien tech he had used on Ianto, as it needed to be charged for two weeks after use and it had only been a week since Dominic had made his entrance into this world.

Jack entered the room, stepping up behind Ianto and grinning over his shoulder at their son who was clutching Ianto's pink shirt as he slept. "He's so like his daddy," Jack commented, pressing a kiss against Ianto's neck.

The younger man turned around with a raised eyebrow. "I happen to think you look…" he leant closer and whispered in his ear, "fan-fucking-tastic in pink, as well."

Ianto laughed and rolled his eyes. "You think I look good in anything," he pointed out.

"And nothing," Jack reminded him with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"There," Owen spoke, finishing dressing the wound. "All better," he added, grinning at the Welshwoman.

"Great," Gwen drawled, looking down at her arm in disdain. "Going down the aisle with a huge bandage on my arm. How attractive is that?"

Jack grinned down at his friend. "Hey, this is Torchwood, it could be much worse."

x

A very pregnant Gwen rounded on Jack as she opened up a jar of mustard. He grimaced as she dipped her index and middle fingers into the jar, licking them clean in a decisively un-ladylike manner.

"This is all your fault," she scolded, waving a finger at him, not noticing as a dollop of mustard fell to the counter.

"I understand that you're mad, but how is this my fault?"

"Because," Gwen stated with all the dignity a pregnant woman could muster, "you said things could be much worse than a bite. This is much worse!"

Jack held his hands out trying to calm her down, "Okay, okay," he whispered, suddenly glad she was nowhere near her gun. He didn't fancy dying on her wedding day.  
He looked over at Owen who was busy consulting his PDA. "Anything?" the Captain asked.

"Biological Alien insemination," Owen replied distractedly. "That shape shifter last night. It's okay, Gwen," he assured his colleague. "We'll take you back to the Hub, run you through the Microtron. Couple of days off your feet, you'll be okay."

"Whoa!" Gwen cried, stepping around the counter with an angry look on her face. "A couple of days? In five hours I'm walking down the aisle, Owen!"

"No, you're not," Jack argued with a shake of his head. "It's too dangerous."

Gwen put her hands on her hips and turned to the Time Agent. The glare she was throwing didn't really affect him, having become pretty much immune to pregnancy glares in the six months he had been back from travelling with the Doctor.

"You are not thinking straight right now."

The effect on Gwen was almost instant. She slammed the palms of her hands down on the counter angrily. "Do not bring my bloody hormones into this, Mr Jack Harkness!" she practically screamed, making Jack and Owen wince at the pain they felt in their ears.

"Owen said if there was any biological incompatibility, I'd be dead." She looked at Owen who nodded in confirmation. "So I'm good until after the wedding. Then we can get rid of this thing. When I am Mrs Williams. Not before."

x

Jack sat back in his chair, surveying the room. Gwen's sudden pregnancy had turned out to be more of a problem than they had initially thought; as the dead body of their original DJ could attest to.

Although, Jack thought to himself, their current DJ was looking pretty hot.

Ianto was standing behind the DJ's tables, one headphone pressed to his ear as he made sure the songs were playing properly.

The Captain's eyes travelled to Tosh and Owen who were dancing a few feet away and he grinned. It was about time Owen finally realised that Tosh liked him. Suddenly he was reminded of a joke Suzie had made a long time ago.

_'The day Owen realises that she likes him, he'll probably be dead and won't be able to do anything about it.'_

At the time it had been nothing more than a joke, a jibe about how blind Owen really was to things happening around him. Now, after the events of recent weeks, Jack felt a twinge of pain at the accuracy of the statement.

Jack's gaze turned away from Tosh and Owen when he heard Martha chuckling and making funny noises. He grinned when he realised that those noises were directed at his son. The young doctor had managed to convince her bosses that Torchwood's situation was so dire that they needed a real professional for a little while longer.

Although, Jack knew it was really just an excuse to spend more time with baby Dominic. Having Martha around turned out to have been a godsend during the mess with the Nostrovite.

Jack couldn't have afforded for Ianto to be distracted with caring for their son, he needed the trained assassin on form the entire time. Knowing that Dominic was under Martha's protective guard had eased the younger Time Agent's mind and he had been able to focus more.

Getting to his feet, Jack patted Martha on the shoulder, squeezing gently in thanks as he crossed the dance floor to where Rhys and Gwen were dancing with each other, murmuring between themselves.

Jack tapped Rhys on the shoulder, in the way one would if they wanted to cut in to dance with the bride.

The couple pulled apart and Gwen beamed when she spotted Jack wanting to dance with her. Jack pulled her into his arms, whispered, "Congratulations," in her ear, before releasing her and heading over to the DJ.

Ianto looked up as Jack approached him, grinning as he spotted Gwen's miffed look before she continued dancing with Rhys. "I think you've upset Gwen," he commented, setting down the headphones.

Jack chuckled and held his hand out. "I don't care," he whispered, dragging Ianto from the platform. "I want to dance with my partner," he added, pulling the other man against his body.

Ianto grinned and moved so one hand was pressed against Jack's back, just above the curve of his arse, while the other curled against the older man's chest.

"Are all weddings in this century this eventful?" he asked as they began swaying to the music Ianto had left playing.

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," Jack admitted. "This is the first I've been to for a long time. A very long time," he added, remembering the last time he had been to a wedding. It had been his own.

The song changed to another ballad and Ianto lifted his head, pressing his lips against Jack's in a gentle, but passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Jack asked in surprise as the kiss ended.

Ianto mirrored Jack's earlier action and shrugged his own shoulders. "No reason," he replied softly.

Just before the song ended they heard a cry and a tentative cough sound from the side of them. The couple parted and turned to see Martha standing a few feet away, holding a crying Dominic in her arms.

"I think this little guy wants his tad," she informed them, grinning at Ianto.

Ianto mock-sighed and extracted himself from Jack's grip. "Come here, little guy," he cooed, reliving Martha from babysitting duties. "Why aren't you behaving for Auntie Martha?" he whispered, running his hand over Dominic's dark hair.

Without a word to either Jack or Martha, Ianto headed over to the table they had been sat at, and where all Dominic's baby things were.

Jack watched them go with an affectionate smile on his face, until Martha snapped him out of his daze. "Aww," she grinned happily. "That's so cute."

He blinked and stared down at the doctor. "What is?" he asked, pulling her into his arms for a dance; he knew Ianto wouldn't mind, he liked Martha. If it had been Gwen on the other hand…

"You've got that whole sappy, 'I'm in love', look," Martha advised him, resting one hand on his shoulder.

Jack grinned and struggled to fight back the blush. He couldn't believe she could make him flush so easily. "I know," he whispered.

"I'm so glad you took my advice, Jack," Martha said, tracing her fingers across Jack's braces a little bit, a small smile playing on her lips.

He shifted nervously and she lifted her head, all happiness vanished, to be replaced by disbelief. "Are you telling me, he's just had your baby," she whispered, "and you haven't even told him that you love him?"

Jack at least had the dignity to look suitably told off. "I've tried… Several times," he added. "But every time I do something gets in the way. I don't want him to think I'm saying it just because of the baby."

Martha sighed and shook her head, "Well me and Tom are taking Dominic to the beach in a few weeks; give you two sometime alone together. To do some dabbling," she added with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"If you haven't said those three words by the time we get back there'll be trouble, Mister," she advised him, poking him in the chest with her index finger.

He grinned and saluted, "Yes, ma'am," he smirked.

The doctor rolled her eyes and swatted him on the arm before resuming their dancing. Jack would tell Ianto exactly how he felt about the other man; she would make sure of it.

Little did she know that the events of the following weeks would prevent them from confessing their true feelings.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 14

Jack and Ianto spending quality time together without Dominic didn't exactly go to plan. Sure enough, they had waved Martha and Tom off as they left to take Dominic to the beach. But instead of them jumping straight into bed like they had expected to, Gwen had decided she needed a new mission.

Investigating a young man's disappearance through the Rift.

Currently she was trying to convince Jack to allow her to help the families of the people taken by the Rift. "Come on, Jack. We could help. It's doesn't have to be this hard. It's not a badge of honour…"

Jack got to his feet, a sour look on his face. "Close this down," he snapped, turning away from the table and stalking out of the room.

Ianto got to his feet as well. "Ianto!" Gwen cried, seeing that Jack's second wasn't even going to agree with her.

"I'll talk to him," he responded, following Jack from the room. She would probably misinterpret his words as an indication that he was going to help, but he didn't care.

Outside the room Jack paused, waiting for Ianto to catch up with him. "She knows," he whispered when Ianto approached him.

"She doesn't know the full details," Ianto argued softly. "But you know what she's like, she will find out eventually."

Jack sighed and looked back at Gwen who was now sitting alone at the conference table, glaring at the couple. "I…" He turned back to Ianto. "What should I do?" he asked softly.

Ianto smiled, "Maybe it's time to share the burden of this with more than just me?" he suggested.

The lovers' eyes met and Ianto knew immediately that Jack would agree to Gwen finding out the truth. He also knew that there was no way Jack would succumb and give her the information she was looking for himself.

"Okay," he whispered. "But I don't want her to know I said she could find out. It's gotta look like she figured it out without me." He jabbed his index finger against Ianto's chest, "You figure out a way to tell her," he added before stalking off; to brood in his office, no doubt.

x

Ianto grinned against Jack's lips and pushed him back against the counter. "You like that?" he murmured, running his hands down Jack's bare torso. "You want me to flip you over and fuck you against the counter?" he added, sliding his hands into Jack's open trousers; how they were staying up he would never know.

Jack groaned and grabbed hold of Ianto's shoulder tightly, crushing their mouths together as he tried to steal every breath in Ianto's lungs. "Oh god," he panted at the feel of Ianto's hand on him. It felt like it had been years since they had touched, not an hour ago after Jack had won at Naked Hide and Seek – which he didn't cheat at, no matter how many times Ianto insisted he did.

"Oh god!" a familiar voice echoed from the doorway to the hot house. A very familiar voice. A voice Ianto had no desire to hear just before he was about to fuck Jack so hard he couldn't remember either of his names.

Together they looked up to see Gwen standing there with wide eyes. "I'm… I'm sorry," she stammered, turning and practically fleeing from the room; the girlie giggle she let out, made Jack chuckle to himself as Ianto grabbed his shirt.

"I need to talk to her," he whispered, pressing his lips against Jack's. "I'll be right back," he added, jogging out of the room after her, fastening his trousers as he went, leaving his dark shirt unfastened.

"Gwen, wait!" Ianto called after her.

She turned around and he could see that she was still blushing a little. "Ianto, hi. Sorry," she pointed toward the hot house, "I didn't realise."

Ianto shook his head, "It's not a problem," he lied. There was a problem and it was currently residing in his trousers.

"There's always room for one more," Jack called, exiting the hot house with a Cheshire Cat like grin on his face. "We could have used you an hour ago for Naked Hide and Seek."

"He cheats," Ianto added, glaring at Jack for even insinuating that Gwen could join in.

Jack turned away from the glare hurriedly. "Something I can help you with?" he asked, looking at Gwen with a raised eyebrow.

Ianto noticed that the woman's eyes were fixed on Jack's face, refusing to look anywhere else; no matter how tempting that might be. While Ianto hadn't fastened his shirt, he had at least fastened his trousers; which was more than Jack had done. And while neither man was making no effort to hide how aroused they were, evidence of Jack's own was threatening to escape from the confines of his underwear.

"Jonah Bevan," Gwen replied. "I've decided to make it my own special project. I'm not letting it go."

"No," Jack replied simply.

Gwen blinked in surprise, Jack very rarely said no to her and never with such venom in his voice. "Excuse me?"

Jack shifted and his trousers threatened to fall down, Ianto noticed distractedly. "I don't know how I can be any clearer."

"Oh," Gwen glared back at him. "Well, everyone else has their special projects, why can't I?"

Ignoring her question, Jack turned back to Ianto. "Coming back in?" he asked, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a smirk. "Things to do."

Ianto rolled his eyes and followed Jack back along the walkway. The other man didn't even stop when Gwen called his name.

The younger Time Agent stopped in the doorway and looked back at Gwen. "Ianto?" she asked, a pleading note in her voice.

Ianto looked through the doors at Jack who was standing with his back to them, then back at her. "There's… There's a package on your desk," he whispered before slipping back into the hot house.

"Did she fall for it?" Jack asked, not turning around as Ianto closed the door.

"I think so," Ianto replied stepping up to Jack and placing his hands on his lover's shoulders, pressing his lips against Jack's hair. "You don't always have to do this, you know?"

Jack turned around, a confused expression on his face. "Do what?"

"Be the tough guy all the time," Ianto explained, pushing Jack's shirt from his shoulders. "The team knows you're human. That you have feelings too."

He offered him a smile and kissed him tenderly, placing his hands on Ianto's hips and drawing him closer. "When did you become my conscience?" he smirked.

Ianto grinned and slid his hands into Jack's pants once more. "Somewhere between us sleeping together and having a kid I think," he replied, deepening the kiss. "Now, I believe I said something about fucking you against this counter…"

x

Gwen returned from Flat Holm with a dull look to her eyes. A look Ianto knew all too well; it was the same look Jack always wore whenever he returned from the island.

She looked up when she heard footsteps approach her. "Oh, hi," she greeted, offering him a weak smile.

Ianto smiled back at her. Most of the time he couldn't stand Gwen – mainly because of how much time she spent simpering over Jack - but the haunted look in her eyes struck a chord in him and he suddenly found himself feeling protective of her.

"Here," he whispered, setting the steaming cup he was holding in front of her. "My tad always said that tea made everything feel better."

Gwen smiled at him and shook her head, "No thanks," she murmured, grabbing her car keys and moving to get to her feet.

Ianto placed one hand on her shoulder, making sure she stayed in her place. "One drink," he insisted, pushing the cup towards her. "Please?"

She seemed as though she was going to argue, but eventually she sighed and relented, drinking her tea. "Thank you," he said, hugging her a little. "It'll make everything better, I promise."

x

Jack watched from the window in his office, obscured by the blinds, as Ianto ushered Gwen through the cog door.

Once she was gone, the younger Time Agent made his way across the Hub and entered Jack's office.

"It's done," he stated, closing the door behind him. Wordlessly he pulled Jack over to the small couch resting against one wall.

"Thank you," Jack whispered, leaning against Ianto's side and burying his face in his lover's shoulder. "I don't think I could have…"

Ianto shushed Jack, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him even closer. "I know," he replied, pressing his lips against the older man's soft hair.

Jack smiled and burrowed further into embrace, moving his head so he could hear Ianto's heartbeat, hoping it would drown out the sound of Jonah's screams.

x

When Gwen returned back to her flat, Rhys was already fast asleep on the couch, with the remote control still clutched in his hand.

Not wanting to wake him and burden him with the knowledge of Flat Holm, she silently moved into the bedroom, undressed and slid into bed.

Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, as though they were made of lead, she noted as he pulled the quilt up against her chin and closed her eyes.

In no time at all, she found herself slipping into a dreamless Retcon-induced sleep.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 15

"Either these aliens are really quiet," Jack began.

"Or they're asleep," Owen added over their comms.

"Or hatching," Ianto added un-helpfully.

The team had split up, Ianto and Owen covering one end of the building, while Tosh and Jack took the other end. None of them had been able to get in touch with Gwen for some reason. She was going to be in some serious trouble when she got there, Jack thought to himself, rounding a corner and staring down at the 'alien' in horror.

"Or maybe they're not aliens at all," he heard Tosh comment over the comms.

"Explosive devices," Ianto whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Snap."

Jack's only thought before the bombs exploded was that he didn't care if he died, Ianto wasn't allowed to leave him alone; not now.

x

Jack jerked alive, breathing in a large amount of air as he was roughly pushed back from the darkness.

"He… He was dead! I felt it, there was no pulse!"

"What's he doing here?" Jack snapped, pointing up at Rhys as the couple helped him to his feet.

"I was late, Rhys drove me," Gwen replied with a roll of her eyes. "Where are the others?"

Jack tried to recall what direction he had sent the others in before he had died. "Tosh went that way," he nodded towards the other end of the building. "Ianto and Owen took the other end of the building."

x

Ianto was half buried under rubble when Jack found him, almost as much as Jack had been, but at least he was still alive. That was the only thing Jack could force himself to think about.

"Will!" Ianto groaned, spotting Jack's boots heading towards him.

Jack quickly pulled the large pieces of rubble from on top of Ianto and carefully helped his lover to his feet. "It's okay, I've got you," he whispered, not letting go of Ianto as Gwen joined them.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked in concern, looking the other man over.

"My shoulder," Ianto informed them. "It's dislocated."

Jack grimaced and looked Ianto in the eye. "Can you take this?" he asked.

The younger Time Agent nodded, not looking as Jack took a breath and popped his shoulder back into place, making Ianto scream in pain and Gwen screw her eyes closed in horror.

"Where's Tosh?" he asked when the pain subsided.

"With Rhys," Gwen replied, "we need help getting her out."

"Owen?"

She shook her head regretfully. "No sign yet."

"If anything happens, he can't heal himself," Ianto reminded them both.

Jack and Gwen exchanged horrified looks; they had both become so used to Owen being dead that they hadn't thought about what would happen if something happened to him in his current state.

"You go find Owen," Jack instructed Gwen, "let us know when you find him. We'll help Rhys with Toshiko. And be careful!"

Gwen agreed and she was quickly on her way, jumping over various pieces of debris on her quest to find her zombie friend.

Jack turned back to Ianto, his eyes wide as he searched the other man's, looking for any indication that he was lying. "Are you sure, you're okay?"

Ianto nodded his head, capturing his lips in a soft kiss before they slowly made their way back to Tosh. "I'll be okay," he assured him. "But I do want to spend five minutes alone with whoever did this and my gun," he muttered darkly.

x

The explosions tore through the city, leaving big gaping holes in various sectors. The members of Torchwood Three watched helplessly from different rooftops across town, unaware that Jack was also being forced to watch the explosion.

"Where the hell is Jack?" Owen demanded over his blue-tooth ear piece.

Tosh took a step closer to Ianto who was on the roof with her. "Ianto, didn't you say that your wrist strap has Jack's frequency already programmed into it?"

Ianto pushed his sleeve back, entering the code into his wristband before pressing the large teleport buttons.

Tosh watched with bated breath as Ianto vanished from sight, bathed in a bright blue light, before the light disappeared and he was back where he had started.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" he screamed, kicking at a nearby rock.

The Japanese woman flinched at his anger and nervously asked, "What's wrong?"

"It can't find Jack," Ianto told her. "The teleport can only find people who are in this time and reality. And I can't use the time travelling features to find him, 'cause I don't know where he is!"

"So we have no way to find Jack?" she whispered.

Ianto shook his head, wrapping his good arm around her, making sure not to jostle her own damaged limb. "I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing his lips against her dark hair.

Their city was falling apart around them and none of them had any means of contacting Jack.

"Where are you, Will?" he whispered, his voice too quiet for Tosh to hear, to the heavens.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 16a

"It should work," John swore, watching as Gwen tried to do a scan for the frequency once more. "It was guaranteed for five millennia. Try it again," he instructed when the results came back blank.

"I've already tried three times," Gwen replied, still keeping her gun firmly trained on John while her left hand typed away.

Suddenly a high pitched buzzing rang through the Hub, almost deafening Gwen and John – as well as the others who were listening via their comm links.

"What the Hell is that?" Gwen screamed over the noise, clutching at her ears in pain.

x

Ianto grimaced as he crashed into the side of the Jubilee Pizza building, his shoulder was hurting like hell and banging it like that didn't help at all.

Him and Tosh stared at each other in disbelief when he spotter hordes of Weevils moving down the main road, heading in the city centre.

"Guys," Ianto spoke, activating his comms unit. "We have a problem."

x

John grimaced as Gwen roughly bandaged the Time Agent's arm. The computer was busy running every scan she could think of, but so far they weren't having any luck.

"Your bedside manners need work," he commented, wincing in pain as she fastened the dressing and threw his arm away from her.

"Be glad I'm helping at all. When all this is…"

She trailed off and slowly got to her feet, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves. John frowned and followed her gaze, swearing and jumping to his feet in horror.

"You know, you've got a real pest problem in here," he commented, glancing around fearfully at the Weevils.

Gun shots tore through the air and two Weevils fell down, before more shots were fired and the remainder fell down.

Gwen turned and grinned when she saw Tosh and Ianto standing nearby, guns in hand. "God, I am so glad to see you," she breathed.

Ianto stormed forward and brought his gun up, aiming at John as he squeezed the trigger.

Gwen pushed Ianto's arm down. "We need him," she reminded him. "Don't kill him yet."

"Yet?" John shouted, standing up from where he had dropped to the floor. "It should be don't kill me at all."

Ianto took another step forward, but Gwen wrapped her arms around him, pushing the angry assassin back several steps. "This isn't helping, Ianto," Gwen reminded him, bringing him back to the problem at hand.

"I'll make things right, Eye Candy," John swore, moving so he wasn't in Ianto's line of fire anymore.

"Then start by taking those Weevils into the cells," Tosh instructed, throwing her weapon down on the workstation and thumping away at her keyboard with her good arm. "It'll take more than a bullet to stop them."

x

Ianto threw the Weevil into the corner, not caring if it cracked it's skull open and bled to death. "I swear," he called through to the other cell where John was, "if we don't find him soon, I really am going to kill you."

He stepped forward and leant against the glass, his mouth nearer to the air holes so his words could be heard clearer. "Very slowly."

The instant his words were out of his mouth, the doors slammed closed, sealing them in there.

"What the Hell is this?" John cried, banging his hands on the glass. "Let me out."

"Shut up," Gwen snapped. "It wasn't us, we're all trapped."

Ianto tried to open the doors using his wrist strap but found he couldn't do anything; whoever their prisoner was had overridden the controls and changed the access codes.

A dark figure stepped in front of the glass and Ianto looked up into evil eyes. "What have you done to Jack?" he demanded, placing his palms on the glass.

"Jack?" the stranger repeated as though the word were foreign to him. "That's what he's calling himself now?" he mused aloud before shrugging his shoulders and heading toward the door.

"What have you done to him?" Gwen demanded angrily.

Gray smirked and looked at them before he left them alone with the Weevils. "Nothing he doesn't deserve."

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Canon character death

Chapter 16b

Silently Ianto lead John up through the secret passages to the tourist office. They didn't speak until they arrived in the dark office and Ianto held the door open, pointedly indicating that John should leave.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," John said softly, hooking his thumbs over his belt and looking down at the ground with a regretful expression on his face.

"Yet it still did and two of my friends are dead because of you wanting to keep Will for yourself," Ianto stated, his voice hard and cold. "Do you know why they were looking for Time Agents back home?"

John shrugged his shoulders and Ianto explained, "They were looking for secret assassins so they could execute them for carrying out their orders."

"What's this got to do with me?" John asked, shuffling his spot.

"I'm trying to explain this to you so you can understand how lucky you are to be alive." He released the door and stepped closer to John, getting in his face, "I was one of those assassins. I have killed more people than you could ever imagine."

The other Time Agent blinked in surprise and took a step back in fear. "Why am I still alive then?"

Ianto sighed and opened the door once more, "Because I'm tired and there's been enough death today," he admitted. "But if you ever – and I mean, ever – come near Torchwood or Will again, I won't hesitate to kill you. And unlike earlier, I won't miss; that I can guarantee you that."

John studied Ianto before nodding his head, sighing in resignation. He took a step forward, placing a gentle kiss on Ianto's cheek in the same manner he had Jack. "Take care of him, will you?" he asked. "I wasn't lying, I really do love him."

Ianto nodded, remaining silent as he watched John leave the Tourist office and head across the city to where there had been a noted Rift spike.

x

Entering the main Hub, Ianto looked around at the familiar surroundings, unable to fully grasp how things could look exactly the same when he knew nothing would ever be as it had previously.

He watched as Gwen slowly took photographs down from Tosh's desk, packing them in a box with the other bits and pieces she had collected through her years of working for Torchwood.

The Time Agent squeezed her shoulder as he passed, heading down to the Medical bay where Jack was packing up Owen's belongings.

He watched as Jack placed the doctor's personal medical kit in a bag bearing Torchwood's logo. Ianto's heart broke as Jack buried his nose in Owen's white lab coat before reverently placing it in a bag of its own, not taking one single badge off of it.

Slowly Ianto made his way, down the stairs to his lover. Tears were flowing freely down Jack's cheeks as he closed the case with a snap, sealing Doctor Owen Harper's professional life in a box. The box should go in storage, with all the rest of Owen and Tosh's belongings, but Ianto knew that there was no way this particular box would join them.

It would go back to their apartment, along with a box of Tosh's belongings and be placed in the back of their wardrobe, where it would stay for the rest of Jack's immortal life.

"I should have saved them," Jack finally whispered, roughly brushing the tears from his cheeks and closing his eyes.

Ianto sighed and shook his head, drawing Jack closer and holding him tightly. "You didn't kill them," he reminded his lover. "You were buried alive and frozen. There was nothing you could have done."

Jack remained silent, burying his face in Ianto's shoulder, breathing in the scent he honestly thought he would never smell again. "When I was…" He paused, gathering his thoughts for a moment, "When I was underground, I wasn't conscious for long. Minutes between deaths, if that, and only for the first hundred years or so."

Ianto gasped in horror, holding Jack tightly as he spoke; it was the first time they had discussed what had truly happened during the time Jack had been missing. While Ianto had been told what Jack had been subjected to, the other man had never described his feelings.

"I was probably aware of my surroundings for about half a day in total," Jack continued, his voice sounding small and scared. "But when I was awake I thought about you."

The younger man put his hand under Jack's chin and tilted his head up, kissing him softly. "I was so worried when I couldn't find you," he whispered, his hot breath ghosting over Jack's lips. "I tried to use my Vortex Manipulator to teleport to you just after the bombs exploded, but it couldn't find you."

"John had already taken me to the past," Jack replied, clinging to Ianto as though he were afraid the other man was about to disappear.

Ianto's phone beeped from its place inside his pocket and he carefully reached down and pulled it out, not releasing Jack once. The phone was displaying a voicemail message from Martha.

 _"What's going on? The bombings are all over the news. Why aren't you answering my messages? Call me back right now!"_ her terrified voice screamed over the speakerphone.

Jack chuckled against Ianto's neck and murmured, "Can we go get Nicky?" he whispered.

Ianto smiled at the nickname Jack had given their son and nodded his head, knowing that Jack needed to spend time with his family. To reassure himself that they were both still alive.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 17

Ianto offered to drive to the small seaside town Martha and Tom were staying in. He wasn't totally sure if Jack should be driving given his present state. He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically; it was better – and safer – for the both of them if Ianto drove.

Getting past the road blocks on the edges of the city had proved more difficult than Ianto had expected. The younger Time Agent was driving as fast as he dare, with the sirens going and lights flashing, yet the police officer on the border out of the city, still refused to let them past without his clearance code and identification.

Once they were on the motorway, Ianto turned the blue flashing lights and sirens off, plunging them into silence, the only sound coming from the purr of the SUV's engine and Jack's rhythmic breathing.

Ianto shivered and zipped his jacket up even further with one hand. Jack had the window on his side wound almost completely down and the cold didn't seem to be bothering him at all. He knew that Jack's new affection for air on his face – no matter what the temperature – was due to him spending so long unable to breath fresh air, so he couldn't bring himself to complain.

x

The small cottage Martha, Tom and Dominic were staying in was beautiful, Ianto noted as he pulled the car into the driveway. It was owned by Tom's parents and they had been kind enough to let Martha and their son stay there, even at such short notice.

It was nearing midnight when they arrived, but they didn't have to worry about waking anyone up. Especially since the door opened before Ianto had even put the handbrake on.

Martha flung Jack's door open and pulled the sleepy man into her arms, hugging him so tightly Ianto could have sworn she would suffocate him.

"Thank god you're okay," she whispered, releasing Jack and hugging Ianto just as tight. "What happened?"

The guards immediately came back up in Jack's eyes and Ianto offered her a tight smile. "Where's Dominic?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject.

He could tell Martha was puzzled by his swift change in topic, but thankfully the doctor was too tactful to mention it. She knew one of them would explain eventually. Instead she lead the couple inside the dark house where Tom was sitting in the living room, watching some late night show.

She lead them through the master bedroom where Dominic had been sleeping in his Moses basket next to the bed, the same as he did at home.

Knowing that Jack needed some time alone with Dominic, Ianto pressed his lips against his lover's forehead and followed Martha out of the room, leaving father and son alone; he would explain the events to the couple while Jack was otherwise occupied.

Feeling tears well up, Jack sat down on the bed and carefully picked Dominic up. The small boy made a little bit of a fuss at the disturbance, but Jack quietly shushed him, singing a song he remembered from his own childhood.

At the sound of his daddy's voice, Dominic's blue eyes flickered open and he grinned sleepily at Jack before settling back down.

Jack started a little, almost jostling Dominic, when he felt a hand on his shoulder a while later. "Hey," Ianto whispered, moving so he was sitting behind Jack on the bed, the other man sitting in the V of his legs. "You okay?"

The older man nodded his head, tears coming once again as he looked down at Dominic, before he shook his head. "I couldn't remember him," he admitted, feeling Ianto's sharp intake of breath. "I knew we had a son, but I couldn't remember anything about him, what he looked like, smelled like, nothing; only his name."

"For a few hours – years, I tried my hardest to cling on to memories of the both of you," Jack continued, stroking Dominic's sleeping cheek with his index finger. "But he's so young… I… I guess I hadn't known him for that long, or I'm not strong enough."

Ianto froze at Jack words and turned his lover's head. "Listen to me, Will," he said firmly. "If you are anything, it is not weak. No one else I know could have survived what you went through. You are the strongest person I know."

"But…"

He gripped Jack's hand tightly. "No buts, Will," he ordered. "You are strong and we will get through this. I know it doesn't feel like it at the moment. But trust me when I say you're not the only one hurting. We all feel Tosh and Owen's deaths, not just you. Let us help you."

Jack smiled weakly through his tears and kissed Dominic's forehead, carefully placing him back in the basket. He turned around to face Ianto and kissed him softly, "Thank you," he whispered, running his hands through his lover's hair and settling back on the bed.

Ianto remained silent, holding Jack close, letting his presence alone comfort the other Time Agent.

x

Far across the galaxy, unbeknownst to the young couple an old enemy watched them and slowly began to draw his plans against them.

The End


End file.
